It’s funny how the lessons you learn in one part of your life often apply in others.

Such was the case with the pandemic that shut down so much of what I was doing in the corporate AV world as businesses adopted a strategy that sent employees home to work remotely to comply with social distancing recommendations from health authorities.

Overnight about 99% of what I was doing—mostly corporate AV services for gatherings in ballrooms—dried up. Looking around, I vowed that never again would I put all of my eggs in the same basket.

I wanted to create something that did not pigeonhole me in a single market niche that could be shuttered by a pandemic or any other unforeseen calamity. To the best of my ability, I would pursue a business strategy that emphasized flexibility so if one sector went down, I would have others to buoy me.

To that end, I founded and serve as president of three companies, Pittman Media Group, which focuses on AV production and integration as well as being the parent company of CINELIVE. CINELIVE is my OB mobile production company with a flagship 53-foot mobile unit serving hybrid or cinematic multi-cam and traditional live broadcast clients. My third company, which is unrelated to the first two, focuses on High-Density Ultra-Pure LED displays for video broadcast control rooms and critical control rooms in other industries.

Next-Level Flexibility
As I thought about how best to build an OB unit, I quickly realized that placing an emphasis on flexibility in its technical design, similar to my overall business north star, made perfect sense.

I selected an integrated media processing solution, aka a Ross Video Ultrix platform, in combination with Ross openGear-based modular-based processing to address multiple video production functions, such as audio and video routing, frame synchronization, multiview, production switching and other workflow essentials, in a single system.

Rather than relying on racks full of single-purpose technology and dealing with the footprint required for all of those racks and equipment, higher cooling loads and the increased complexity and weight of the cabling that would be necessary, the integrated processing available via Software Defined Production Engine blades and some supporting modular processing proved to be a far more elegant approach that could easily meet production requirements that vary from client to client and show to show.

Compared to OB units with traditional designs, CINELIVE devoted fewer equipment racks to video—about two-and-a-half, providing the flexibility to devote several more feet of truck space to audio, which runs one of the finest Dolby Atmos 5.1.4 audio suites ever built into an OB unit.

In this respect, flexibility equals scalability. Having additional free rack space means the unit can scale with new technology to enable new or expanded production requirements and associated workflows. Even more importantly, the fact the FPGA used to power our integrated media processing solution has additional processing headroom means the solution itself can also scale as new software revisions enable additional production capabilities to meet the needs of customers.

Besides space, this approach cuts weight by about 5,000 pounds when compared to a comparable traditional OB vehicle, meaning our CINELIVE OB vehicle is never even close to our 80,000-pound weight limit.

Other Benefits of Flexibility
There are several other important benefits of having such a flexible integrated signal processing solution. Adapting workflows is one example. No two productions are ever the same. As a result, tally identification of camera sources changes from production to production. Thanks to the flexibility built into our integrated system and our tally management system, which it supports, we can, for example, assign camera signals to various CCU inputs and all accompanying tally information, such as signal source name, automatically follows.

Having the flexibility to add new capabilities to our integrated media processing system as they become available also offers the potential to open up new monetization opportunities. One example is the addition of true 4K multiviewing support, which will give us the opportunity to upcharge our highest-end clients for this capability if we decide to do so.

Whether it’s the ability to add new capabilities to CINELIVE without major hardware additions, the chance to monetize new production capabilities, the means to make easy workflow modifications or the freedom to leverage more rack space, choosing to base our mobile unit on an integrated media processing system is delivering the flexibility needed to be competitive and keep clients happy for the foreseeable future.

As I learned coming out of the pandemic, building a business ethos around having the flexibility to adjust to come what may is also a recipe for success when it comes CINELIVE.

(Editor’s Note: Zack Pittman deployed a Ross Video Hyperconverged Ultrix integrated processing solution with Ross Acuity production switcher capability and a Ross Video openGear modular media processing solution to enhance production capabilities as required.)

More information is available in the Ross Video “Why Flexibility is Essential for Broadcast and Live Production Success” white paper and “CINELIVE Builds a Future with Ross” case study.

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This video was sponsored by NewTek Inc.

The latest must-have in our household was an Amazon Echo. However, the Echo and Alexa performed perfectly for a short period and then abruptly stopped working. When aroused thereafter, Alexa would reply “I’m sorry, I’m having trouble connecting to the Internet right now.” After much googling and calls to Amazon and my ISP I was ready to present the rogue bot to Reggie, the family pooch, affectionately referred to as “the Shredder.” Luckily, I found an obscure blog from a hero (in my book) who had the same issue and crucially, as it turned out, the same router. He suggested splitting the 2.4G and 5G Wi-Fi networks, turning off linking and giving them separate SSID names. Put the iPad and Echo on 5G and everything else on 2.4G. Bingo ... it worked! Bob Marley for the rest of the evening, or what was left of it!

It struck me that our experience has parallels explaining the reticence by some towards the rollout of IP in the broadcast industry. Pure SDI workflows consist of several interconnected boxes. When pictures don’t emerge, it is usually obvious which box is the culprit. Likewise, IP networks comprise multiple boxes/devices, but here successful deployment doesn’t just rely on signal transport compliance to adopted standards (i.e. ST 2022-6, ST 2110, etc.), but at the device configuration layer, as well. Accommodating alternative Ethernet port configurations, speeds and other modes introduces considerable device inter-dependency at setup. One incompatible setting and you’ll have blank screens. In our case, the solution (or at least the fix) resided not in the newly added Echo (as I initially diagnosed with my SDI hat on), but settings in the router. All this could be enough to put anyone off, but in truth, IP is brilliant! I’m not going to rollout all the benefits I’m sure you’ve heard before but ― The Echo, Alexa and Amazon’s music database ― how about that for resource sharing?

End-to-end IP Portfolio

I pondered, while walking the Shredder, what might have improved our Echo/Alexa experience. I considered the broadcast IP solutions we offer at Grass Valley. GV’s extensive IP portfolio means you can source all the main IP devices, including a COTS IP switch (GV Fabric), from a single manufacturer. That’s everything, end-to-end, including Direct IP enabled cameras, switchers, standalone or modular video and audio processing devices through to IP multiviewers and IP-to-HDMI display converters. Surely things would have been a lot easier in my case if there were an equivalent single supplier in the domestic device market. Just like Grass Valley does for IP, everything would have been tested and device interoperability would have been verified. If nothing else, there’d be just one phone number to ring and no hopping between vendor service departments with each telling you to ring another. There’ll never be a single supplier for domestic devices, but it’s a nice thought.

Open Standards-based IP

On reflection, all my home devices must have adhered to formal networking standards for there to have been any chance of them working together. It’s inconceivable that this wouldn’t be so. Indeed, particularly in the domestic market, new standards must accommodate existing ones to prevent installed-device obsolescence. You’d think the same would be true in the broadcast industry, but with IP standards being slow to materialize, many proprietary and semi-proprietary IP solutions have emerged. That may be satisfactory in the short term, but it can lead to customers being tied to a specific vendor or vendors when upgrading or re-purposing, or necessitate potentially expensive custom software drivers for incompatible device additions and new control surfaces.

Today, customers want flexibility, ease of deployment and their IP systems to be future proof right from the start. From the beginning, Grass Valley adopted an open standards-based approach to IP for both signal transport and at the control layer. The underlying structure and topology of Grass Valley's IP solution, GV Orbit, was specifically designed to ensure ease of adoption of SMPTE and AMWA NMOS standards as they are released and ratified. The open architecture approach is now proving to be absolutely the right course, ultimately giving customers choice and keeping them in control.

Dynamic Orchestration

There were a few irritating things when adding the Echo and re-configuring my home network. All the devices had different (obviously) user interfaces, some of which were not particularly intuitive. I could put up with that, but perhaps most annoying was the need to reboot the router each time when making what seemed minor changes. This is something Grass Valley has really gotten right for the broadcast world.

The new GV Orbit Dynamic System Orchestrator for SDI, hybrid or pure IP systems amalgamates configuration, control and monitoring into a single unified package with a similar look and feel on all user screens. GV Orbit doesn’t restrict you to using all its functions and features if it doesn’t suit your workflow. You may, for example, have an existing router-control system with hardware panels installed that you don’t want to change. GV Orbit offers third party access via its northbound control facility using standard industry protocols. A clue to perhaps the best feature and benefit of GV Orbit is in the word “Dynamic.” In short, WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get!). GV Orbit allows you to make changes to your system on the fly, whether that be adding or removing devices, reconfiguring signal flows or simply renaming controls or indicators. There’s no more file copying or system downtime while waiting for system controllers to re-boot. Real-time, live-updating means fast & efficient deployment and re-purposing, saving valuable time and money! It makes GV Orbit perfect for OB (outside broadcast) environments, or any continually revolving production scenario. GV Orbit is supplied on a 24” deep 1RU server with all software pre-installed.

Finally, I can report that the Shredder had to make do with one of my old slippers, but at least he could chew on it listening to Bob Marley, courtesy of Alexa. Research conducted (circa 2017) by the Scottish SPCA and the University of Glasgow in the UK found that reggae and soft rock came out as the best genres for reducing a dog’s stress, barking and heart rate.

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Content Sponsored by Grass Valley

The ubiquity of mobile devices and the rise of social media have had a big impact on consumer viewing habits—and we are seeing this trickle down into news consumption. More and more viewers are going to social media and the web to find their news content as opposed to television.

This trend is backed up by a study by the Pew Research Center in Q3 2017, which found that 43 percent of Americans said they often get their news via websites, apps and social media, compared to 50 percent who often get news via television (down from 57 percent in 2016).

When Linear Meets Social

As the transition beyond linear takes place, the pressure is on news broadcasters to respond. In addition to addressing their existing market, they must also meet the needs of younger viewers who prefer to access content via a range of platforms from on-demand to social media. Broadcasters are faced with the problem that they cannot choose between linear and digital output—they have to deliver both. Added to this, in breaking news situations, live (linear) news is still the preferred medium for the majority of viewers—regardless of demographic—so linear is far from dead (the same is true with sports).

The big challenge is that the majority of news broadcasters have workflows that were not designed for social media; they were designed for presenting the news in a linear fashion. Additionally, many of these workflows cannot be easily adapted to the changing news consumption habits of viewers.

It is not enough for broadcasters to deliver content via a range of platforms—just pushing stories to reach those platforms' members; they also need to manage that content accordingly. Usually, this means adding complexity to their workflows, with additional silos for different applications. There are newsrooms where you can see anywhere from 15 to 30 different applications in use to manage output to online and social platforms.

The added complexity these additional applications bring is more than a little counterintuitive to the fast pace of a newsroom environment. Content often has to be separately uploaded to different platforms, to different Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts, and then managed. All of this costs time and impacts the efficiency with which a newsroom operates.

Creating Efficient Social Media Integration

What broadcasters need is to be able to seamlessly integrate social media management into their daily media management cycle, taking the number of applications needed to achieve this down to just one. By simplifying their workflows, each station is able to push the stories that are right for its viewers out in a variety of ways.

This is what Grass Valley helps them do with new solutions within the GV STRATUS production and content management system. As well as supporting linear content output, it now delivers powerful social media management capabilities.

Users can now post, track and delete any asset with a single click. Producers can pre-determine who can post content and within what parameters, while a new rules engine allows them to automate content delivery and management for social media and CMS. Content can easily be tracked and then deleted from all platforms when appropriate. Broadcasters can also use the new capabilities to maximize the value of popular content—for example, by automatically re-posting to other social media accounts without having to individually log in to multiple accounts or running the story as the lead item on the website.

With seamless integration and management of social and digital content output, broadcasters can keep delivering news in the linear manner that traditional audiences favor, but can also attract and engage younger viewers. By ensuring multiple engagements with their brand across a range of platforms they can build better relationships with consumers who access content digitally.

Less (Complexity) Is Always More

Reducing complexity has benefits far beyond allowing broadcasters to reach new audiences. Grass Valley has been re-tooling and re-designing solutions like our Ignite news production automation solution to address complexity within newsroom workflows. Ignite can now be paired with the compact Kula production switcher for smaller web-based and mobile production control rooms, which can be used to generate on-demand live weather and news updates/inserts.

Allowing reporters in the field to edit content anywhere with an internet connection using a laptop, phone or tablet saves valuable time and allows stories to be turned around more rapidly. Thanks to the additional integration of editing and post-production tools such as Rio, EDIUS and Go! they can do just that. Using the Ignite ASP, journalists can also do live inserts from anywhere using a tablet-based UI.

What Grass Valley is doing is giving our newsroom applications a greater degree of flexibility and scalability so that they can be deployed for large newsroom operations, but also smaller online and web-based control rooms.

The combined portfolio of Grass Valley and SAM solutions, together with significant investment from Belden, gives broadcast professionals the broadest selection of tools and technologies in the industry. By delivering real world solutions that reduce complexity, regardless of where content is being delivered, we are enabling our news customers to conquer today's news marketplace while giving them the flexibility to respond to future demands.

—Chuck Garfield, Director News Products, Grass Valley

To learn more about Grass Valley's news solutions, visit www.grassvalley.com.

This content is sponsored by Grass Valley.

SANTA CLARA & SAN JOSE, CALIF.—You’re telling me what?That the media facility of the future rests on a programmable chip? That an app is my access point into the brain of the facility? And that facility-control can be manipulated and managed through a mobile device?

That reality seems a stretch—especially for those living and working in a thriving, humming engineering backroom with racks of SDI gear stretching from floor to ceiling.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FUTURE

It’s not impossible to imagine a time when physical facilities built around proprietary hardware and SDI no longer look like a wise long-term investment. And the cost of constantly upgrading a facility with proprietary technology running powerful, bandwidth-demanding systems like HDR and Ultra HD may not be sustainable over the long term.

“This is [in part] driving a migration away from SDI and proprietary hardware toward IP-based technology running on commercial off-the-shelf hardware and increasingly at data centers both on and off premises, also known as the cloud,” says Deborah McAdams, executive editor of TV Technology magazine.

“The promise of this technology is a type of operation that expands and contracts on demand and has pay-as-you-go workflow functions. A type of elastic virtual media facility, if you will,” she says.

While the app-running-a-facility reality is not yet viable, the companies Intel and Cisco have joined forces specifically to court broadcasters on this idea. The goal is to offer a glimpse of what might be possible under the umbrella of virtualized technology.

“We would like to provide all the transport that SDI currently is providing to the industry—from attaching acquisition devices to backhaul, use in studios, use in media production facilities—we’d like to provide all that underlying transport,” says Cisco’s David Ward, CTO of Engineering and Chief Architect. “Then we’d also build this out as IP datacenters where it’s a combination of networking, storage and compute.”

A roadmap for broadcasters who are considering the benefits of an IP-based open solution.

The combination of Cisco and Intel computing and networking platforms will meet the strict requirements set by the media and broadcast industry when it comes to processing and delivering video, these companies say.

A Cisco/Intel platform could take advantage of benefits like server volume economics, virtualization technology and scalable cloud platforms to help broadcasters meet the growing demand for more video.

IS IP TRANSITION A NECESSARY EVOLUTION?

TV Technology’s McAdams asks how broadcasters might approach the new age of virtualized video infrastructure. Frankly, McAdams asks, is it necessary?

“It’s absolutely necessary to do in a cost-effective way,” Intel’s Sandra Rivera, Corporate Vice President and General Manager, Network Platforms Group, says. “Big iron [fixed-function devices] have done the job for which they were deployed quite effectively. The problem is that so much of that hardware is underutilized; not every single box in that delivery chain is used 100 percent of the time.

“The idea behind network virtualization is that you are actually instantiating a lot of those capabilities in software as virtual machines. When you do that, you’re able to then share those computing networks and storage resources across a broad variety of applications and get much better utilization of that asset,” she says.

Developing this new IP environment will also open up new opportunities for other companies looking to improve media and broadcast workflows in the future, Cisco’s Ward says.