PBS Deploys Aspera for Content Distribution

LAS VEGAS—Aspera said PBS has deployed high-speed transfer and management solutions from Aspera for content distribution.

PBS needed a transfer solution that would overcome the challenges of using the public Internet for large-file deliveries – slow, unreliable transfers that fail to fully utilize available bandwidth and lack sufficient control to share bandwidth with other critical network traffic.PBS selected Aspera Enterprise Server to run transfers over a 90 Mbps pipeline and Aspera Console for real-time transfer monitoring and control.

After receiving content from producers, PBS’ Media Operations Center performs quality control checks, initiates transcode jobs in all the target formats needed for streaming, and then drops the newly created video files into hot folders where Aspera Enterprise Server automatically retrieves and delivers them at high-speed to video streaming partners. Further simplifying the process, most of the video platforms PBS works with already use Aspera for other transfers, so they simply provide PBS with the login credentials and point them to a directory where PBS can upload the video files.

Additionally, PBS relies on Aspera Console’s intuitive, easy-to-use dashboard which is used not only by PBS’ engineering and maintenance staff, but also for casual operators, such as the editors and technicians working with video files. Using Console’s interface, PBS staff can monitor and control transfers in real time, adjusting bandwidth allocation to reflect project priorities.