TVBEurope sits down with Imagine Communications president Steve Reynolds to discuss the rise of AI, the use of actual intelligence, JPEG XS, partnerships with other media tech vendors, and more
By Jenny Priestley
Published: May 4, 2023 Updated: May 5, 2023
TVBEurope sits down with Imagine Communications' president Steve Reynolds to discuss the rise of AI, the use of actual intelligence , JPEG XS, partnerships with other media tech vendors, and more
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
Everybody's talking about artificial intelligence, whether you work in the media tech industry or not, AI is the big talking point at the moment.
AI isn't new to the media tech industry, vendors have been employing the technology for quite some time.
But with the rise of generative AI such as chatbots and AI-driven images, more and more media tech vendors are considering what the technology could offer as we go forward.
Steve Reynolds One such company is Imagine Communications, which has been looking at how AI could enhance both its video and production products. We haven't launched any products yet that include AI, he tells TVBEurope. There's a little bit of uncertainty right now in the market as to how things like ChatGPT are going to be used, so it's a little bit speculative for us right now to build any of that technology into our products.
But, adds Reynolds, from a technology standpoint obviously, Imagine is looking very closely at what it could be doing with AI and machine learning to enhance its products. Bottom line, we want to help our customers make content more efficiently, and we want to help them monetise audiences more effectively, he adds.
There's no question [AI and ML are] going to be a big piece of the future. There'll be some growing pains that we have to go through, there'll be regulatory stuff, there'll be business model stuff that's got to get figured out, but we're definitely keeping an eye on it.
Imagine's Aviator platform One of the ways AI is already being employed is in creating metadata. Imagine's Aviator is cloud-native platform that uses metadata to enable broadcasters, MVPDs and digital-first providers to plan, make and monetise premium-quality linear and OTT content from a single, unified platform.
Currently, Aviator does not employ AI, relying instead on Imagine's product team to create algorithms that deliver repeatable and valuable results. Graham Heap our product manager says, we're still in the phase where we're getting significant gains out of actual' intelligence, explains Reynolds. Moving forward, can AI and ML improve that? Yes, of course it can. And so those are the kinds of things that we're doing research on now to understand where we can continue to improve. But as a first step, just getting the metadata built into the system is pretty dramatic. That's what this Aviator framework is all about, tying together the plan, make and monetise pieces of content delivery.
CLOUD AND JPEG XS Another big topic of conversation within the industry is the rise of the ultra-low latency codec JPEG XS. Imagine has implemented the standard into its Selenio Network Processor, its IP media processing platform.
JPEG XS is high quality with low latency, explains Reynolds, and if you're doing production in the cloud, or you're doing contribution into cloud, both of those things become critically important.
At NAB 2023, Imagine launched Magellan Connect which extends the path-routing capabilities of Magellan into the cloud. It means users can include cloud infrastructure as a part of their entire video path. The reason that we're doing that is because as customers implement these hybrid topologies, they need to be able to see the entire topology, they can't have this kind of dotted line where it says prem' on one side and cloud' on the other, explains Reynolds.
They need to be able to see across the line and into what's happening up in the cloud, because ultimately, the endpoint for JPEG XS is somewhere up in the cloud, and you need to be able to control that.
Just before NAB Show, Imagine announced a partnership with Vizrt to integrate the Viz Vectar Plus cloud live production solution with Aviator. The aim is to provide a single cloud production/playout product to enable live production workflows for sports, news, and live events to feed downstream live linear workflows.
Imagine is not in the production business, states Reynolds. We're more on the origination and monetisation side of the business and so we work with partners on the production piece, and that link with Vizrt is getting tighter.
Imagine also announced a strategic partnership with Amagi, to provide significant benefits to TV networks and broadcasters, including a better-managed path for cloud migration, hybrid operations and orchestration, improved monetisation through advertising, and extensive reach into FAST and CTV platforms.
We're working with partners that have deep expertise. Amazon's a great example. Vizrt is a great example. Amagi is a great example. IntoPIX is a great example. We're really trying to work with companies in this space who are experts at what they do, he concludes.
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
19/11/2025
Sphere Sound Kicks Up Its Heels at Radio City Music HallUltra-immersive system from the singular Las Vegas venue is also ready for sportsBy Dan Daley, Audio Edi...
19/11/2025
The Future of Stadium and Arena Video Control Rooms: Tech Leaders Talk 4K, IP, a...
19/11/2025
One Year at Intuit Dome: Walking Through the Stunning Arena's Advanced Video...
19/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: IMG's Francois Westcombe Goes Inside IMG's Annual Digital ...
19/11/2025
Inside Brighton & Hove Albion's fan-first media machine By George Bevir
Tuesday, November 18, 2025 - 10:10
Print This Story
Brighton & Hove Albion'...
19/11/2025
Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 1: Kansas Athletics Brings New Production Power to Rebu...
19/11/2025
Rock Chalk Rebuild, Part 2: A Pro's Guide to Kansas Athletics' New Video...
19/11/2025
MLB Media Rights Shakeup: NBC Inks Three-Year Deal for Sunday Night Baseball, Pe...
19/11/2025
Rohan Parashuram Kanawade attends the premiere of Sabar Bonda (Cactus Pears) at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival at Egyptian Theatre on January 26, 2025, in Pa...
19/11/2025
Awards season is heating up, and the International Documentary Association just ...
19/11/2025
Aerojet Rocketdyne President Ken Bedingfield and Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders were joined by state and local officials to celebrate the groundbreaking o...
19/11/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
19/11/2025
Calrec gives Phoenix Broadcast Solutions its full support in strategic multi-year enterprise partnership New Singapore OB company invests in Calrec technology f...
19/11/2025
October brings a larger audience in front of TV screens. The cooler autumn weather and the continuation of new programming schedules brought increases in both t...
19/11/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...
19/11/2025
Vitec has acquired Datapath, a developer of real-time video processing for large-scale video walls, AVoIP content distribution and KVM control in mission-critic...
19/11/2025
NEVADA CITY, Calif. Telestream has introduced ARGUS Version 2.3, which introduces Live Look, a feature that lets operators inspect live and on-demand streams vi...
19/11/2025
STAMFORD, Conn. and NEW YORK Charter Communications, Inc. has announced a major deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) that establishes AWS as one of Charters stra...
19/11/2025
TOKYO Atomos has announced a major firmware update that brings integrated camera control to the Ninja TX GO and Ninja TX its new CFexpress-based monitor-recor...
19/11/2025
Berklee's Signature Series Reimagines the Musical and Visual Artistry of Col...
19/11/2025
PlayBox Neo departed the NAB Show New York 2025 on a high note. The company's all-new PlayBox Neo Suite made a splash on the show floor, drawing strong inte...
19/11/2025
AAVBR (American Audio Visual Baton Rouge), a leading full-service event production company serving Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region, has enhanced its product...
19/11/2025
In its mission to deliver live event services combining advanced engineering with a creative approach to captivating live sports and entertainment experiences, ...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK Short-form vertical video has exploded across platforms like TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, but a new survey commissioned by Media.net, a provider of c...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK YES Network, the regional sports network home of the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets, and CAMB.AI have struck a partnership they said will leverage ...
19/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has issued detailed guidance on filings that were disrupted by the government shutdown. While many of those fil...
19/11/2025
NEW YORK The popularity of NFL games is largely responsible for continued seasonal momentum in TV viewership into October (measured Sept. 29-Oct. 26), according...
19/11/2025
DirecTV has announced that its MyFree DirecTV streaming service has added seven new channels. Those include four sports services, NBA FAST, Red Bull TV, DAZN Ri...
19/11/2025
SURREY, U.K. Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has launched Flair Bridge, a compact device that transforms how operators control the company's motion-contr...
19/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission, which is continuing to rapidly ramp up its operations after the end of the federal government shutdown, has se...
19/11/2025
IRVING, Texas Nexstar Media Group and Tegna filed applications on Nov. 18 with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seeking its consent to transfer broad...
19/11/2025
Martin Freeman, Jessie Buckley, Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon, Eddie the Eagle and ...
19/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz collaborates with Broadcom to enable testing and validation of n...
19/11/2025
Back to All News
Innato, starring Imanol Arias and Elena Anaya, arrives on Netf...
19/11/2025
Back to All News
Guillermo del Toro Sits Down With Troll 2 Director Roar Uthaug...
19/11/2025
Some projects feel monumental from the moment the first phone call comes in. When BCE, the host broadcaster appointed to coordinate the national coverage, asked...
19/11/2025
November 19 2025, 08:00 (PST) BAY AREA HOST COMMITTEE AND DOLBY PARTNER TO DELIVER IMMERSIVE FAN EXPERIENCES
During the Week of Football's Biggest Game...
19/11/2025
Michael D. Higgins: Ireland's Ninth President features RT Archives footage and interviews across seven decades
Watch Wednesday 19 November at 9:35pm on RT...
19/11/2025
Scripps Research scientists receive $1.1 million to advance AI modeling for HIV vaccine development New AI system helps scientists rapidly pinpoint the most pro...
18/11/2025
Independent media across Central America are operating under intensifying financial pressure, yet there is a clear appetite for models that can sustain both ind...
18/11/2025
NBA Debuts New Comms Infrastructure and Systems for RefereesTwo-phase rollout is intended to improve game flow, enhance officiating accuracyBy Dan Daley, Audio ...
18/11/2025
Platinum White Paper: How Aggreko Delivers Certainty For Broadcasters On The Wor...
18/11/2025
Kiswe Extends DTC Products With Kiswe Core Cloud-Based Tool for Distributing Con...
18/11/2025
Spanish Basketball Federation partners with ScorePlay to power digital transform...
18/11/2025
HBS selects BBright encoders and decoders to connect ST 2110 live production wor...
18/11/2025
Ashes to Ashes: Inside TNT Sports' hybrid and maverick' production plan...
18/11/2025
SVG All-Stars: Mimi Fotopoulos, Director, Talent and Production Operations, Tenn...
18/11/2025
SVG LIVE! Conference Explores the Tech Side of Sports and Entertainment ConvergenceLive sports and music productions increasingly share gear and infrastructureB...
TVBEurope sits down with Imagine Communications president Steve Reynolds to discuss the rise of AI, the use of actual intelligence, JPEG XS, partnerships with other media tech vendors, and more
