Virtualization, on-prem, and off-prem are just a few of the new terms to find their way into the broadcaster’s dictionary. Discover how IT and HPC technologies are impacting broadcast television to revolutionize your operation.
Having a collection of PCs and MACs stacked under a desk to facilitate the multitude of operational requirements not only proves difficult to operate but challenges our modern ideas around security and makes maintenance almost impossible.
IP and COTS infrastructure designs are giving us the opportunity to think about broadcast systems in an entirely different manner. Although broadcast engineers have been designing studio facilities to be flexible from the earliest days of television, the addition of IP and COTS takes this to a new level allowing us to continually reallocate infrastructure components to make the best use of expensive resource.
Monitoring has always been the engineers’ best friend as it turns apparent chaos into order and helps us understand what is going on deep inside a system to deliver high-quality pictures and sound. As OTT continues to play a more prominent role, the need to monitor internet distribution systems is becoming increasingly compelling.
Computer systems continue to dominate the landscape for broadcast innovation and the introduction of microservices is having a major impact on the way we think about software. This not only delivers improved productivity through more efficient workflow solutions for broadcasters, but also helps vendors to work more effectively to further improve the broadcaster experience.
Security is becoming increasingly important for broadcasters looking to transition to IP infrastructures. But creating improved software, firewalls and secure networks is only half the story as cybercriminals look to find new and imaginative methods of compromising data.
A major development has happened in the broadcast industry with the adoption of software running on COTS servers for processing uncompressed real-time video. Up to recently, this had not even appeared on the radar, but new technology evolution and innovation has now made software COTS for broadcasters a reality.
As broadcasters accelerate IP migration, we must move from a position of theory to that of practical application. Hybrid solutions to integrate SDI, AES, MADI, and IP will be needed for many years to come, even with green field sites, as broadcasters seek a steady and methodical transition.
OTT distribution is worlds apart from traditional unidirectional broadcasting in terms of its fundamental operation and viewing preferences.
The internet is a rapidly expanding collection of service providers, many in direct competition, transferring broadcaster video and audio streams alongside many other types of often conflicting data.