Software-defined Video Accelerates New Service Offers

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Software-defined Video Accelerates New Service Offers --

Wed, 05 Aug 2015 10:50

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Though fixed-function hardware may continue to provide high performance and good picture quality for specific applications such as standard definition TV over traditional networks, long product life cycles mean the technology has a low likelihood of keeping pace with market changes.

With the flexibility inherent to software, video providers can immediately respond to changes in consumer demand. Support for new features and standards can be added through upgrades and API integration of third party software. Broadcasters and pay TV operators who choose software-defined video solutions don t have to wait for new custom video chips to be released to market, they can continually update and enhance their platform in line with increased consumer demand and technology advancements to create new revenue generating video services.

Unlike legacy hardware-based solutions, this advancement allows video providers to deploy software across an optimal combination of dedicated and virtualized resources in both private and public data centers. Furthermore, support for new services and video formats can be integrated seamlessly through simple software upgrades.

Manage the Transition to New Video Codecs, Formats and Services

The software-based approach to video processing enables media enterprises to lead and manage the transition to new video codecs such as high-efficiency video coding (HEVC/H.265), advanced audio codecs, advanced color spaces, increased color bit depth, object-oriented audio specifications, forensic watermarking and new display formats such as 4K Ultra HD.

Proven in major global live production events including the Sochi Winter Olympics and 2014 World Cup, Elemental software-defined video solutions currently offer full frame rate 4K Ultra HD video encoding using the HEVC codec, ensuring that customers will be able to continually support new video compression standards as they are adopted. In some cases, advances developed for newer codecs such as HEVC can also be applied to previous codec generations. These may include de- interlacing, scalar processing, color correction, noise filtering and other special purpose effects such as scene change detection, transition detection, and complexity measurements.

Adding New Services

As the number of consumer viewing devices and video formats continue to multiply, video providers need to keep costs under control and streamline management of their broadcast workflows by consolidating their video processing and delivery systems.

Broadcasters and pay TV operators rolling out premium streaming services can strengthen their competitive position and speed time to market by deploying software-defined video processing architectures as the core of their next-generation infrastructures.

With software defined-video, live-to-VOD features such as nPVR and catch-up TV can be integrated at any time, allowing for even more flexibility and scalability. In dedicated hardware environments, trying to integrate third-party ad messaging or forensic watermarking capabilities means enabling communication with legacy video processing equipment. With its ability to support third party integrations, a software platform allows all sorts of advanced features and capabilities to be fully integrated into a single unified system.

Because software-defined video relies on general purpose processors, specific video processing functions can be virtualized or reside in cloud-based infrastructures. Integrated cloud platforms can ramp resources up and down depending on demand, preventing overinvestment in infrastructure. The manner in which software-defined H.264 and HEVC video processing can share off-the-shelf and cloud-based processor resources can greatly mitigate the risks associated with a new service launch.

One Video Source for All Services and Devices

Elemental s video processing and multiscreen delivery solutions are all built with a software-based approach. This scalability and flexibility allows for the rapid addition of new live-to-VOD features and support for new types of devices as they are introduced to the market. Running on Linux, Elemental Live and Elemental Delta platforms allow for easy integration with third-party DRM systems, commercial CDNs and ad-decision servers.

Elemental Delta is a video delivery platform designed to optimize the monetization, management and distribution of multiscreen video across internal and external IP networks. Through just-in-time (JIT) video packaging and intelligent caching, the platform enables a complete solution for time-shifted TV and real-time content delivery with advanced levels of customization and control, including network bandwidth optimization, profile manipulation and highly targeted ad insertion.

Elemental Delta can be used to implement live-to-VOD content delivery. Implementing live-to-VOD services involves capturing a live video source, taking into account boundary and ad insertion markers, and delivering it in a format that can be played back on a client either during, after or both during and after a live event.

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