PARIS—Globecast has developed and launched what it is billing as the first video public cloud video headend, powered by AWS, for a major European Telco. 

The unnamed telco was a returning Globecast customer. It wanted to optimize its video headend capabilities for its IPTV and OTT services, with an initial scope of 380 channels and 1,400 streams and a key objective to move to an OPEX environment, alongside greatly increased flexibility in terms of adding and removing services, Globecast explained. 

“We had extensive discussions with the customer and explained the benefits of moving to the cloud to satisfy its requirements,” Sylvain Merle, CTO and COO, Globecast, said. “With our market-leading understanding of public cloud use, working with AWS, supplying our cloud playout solutions for Hallmark Media and horse racing channel Equidia, who’s using our Managed Cloud Network service, the customer could see the level of our expertise and the benefits. Additionally, we understood that there were some functions it wanted to remain on-premise and Globecast could easily satisfy that requirement as well.”

“This project is an operational and technological paradigm shift, brought about by the combined capabilities of AWS and Globecast MediaHub, enabling the inception and worldwide delivery of new services such as video processing in this case, but also FAST, pop-up, playout channels, and supporting the highest levels of quality,” added Jean-Christophe Perier, CMO, Globecast.

In the new platform, all video processing functions are carried out in the cloud, with redundancy provided using different zones. 

Globecast has built a MediaHub allowing the interconnection of its points of presence with the cloud to be able to provide specific add-ons and any type of output for worldwide distribution with the strength of a fully managed network. Connections are secured using innovative Gateways and AWS Direct Connect over a private network. These gateways also provide additional operational and technical functions, including monitoring and the remapping of signals, the company reported. 

By using AWS Media Services, and AWS Elemental MediaLive as the core component, to build this video headend, Globecast said it was providing the telco with the capacity to scale resources up and down, as required and the video quality needed in today’s highly competitive market. 

LAS VEGAS—At the 2018 NAB Show, Globecomm will be featuring automated, virtualized video infrastructure solutions that enable high-quality video distribution to a range of devices via multiple platforms.

Globecomm’s Vector is a virtualized video headend system that enables video processing, packaging and customization from a compact, vendor-agnostic platform. Scalable to hundreds of channels, it leverages the company’s robust satellite, IP and fiber CDNs, with direct access to key AWS datacenters. Vector delivers video across OTT, DTH, IPTV, cable, satellite, terrestrial TV and other platforms—from acquisition to distribution—using the latest video formats and compression technologies, such as SD, HD, HEVC, MPEG-2 and MPEG-4, from a unified platform.

By replacing traditional datacenters with a software/data storage combination, Vector reduces rack space, cabling and power requirements. Following an OPEX business model, Vector lets operators quickly launch new services and features cost efficiently.

Globecomm will also show the Tempo OTT cloud video platform, which improves interactive communications for enterprise applications. Whether on-premises or in the cloud, Tempo lets enterprises securely deliver live and on-demand interactive corporate training, communications and distance learning content, via satellite, terrestrial and IP networks, to any screen in the world.

When used as a fully hosted cloud-based service, Tempo offers enterprises advanced functionality, while minimizing bandwidth consumption by leveraging multicast streaming technology.

The 2018 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 9-12. Globecomm will be in booth SU3117. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

Read up on all of TVT's NAB Show Sneak Peeks and other 2018 NAB Show news here.