
TVBEurope asks Signiant CSO Rick Clarkson about remote production challenges
Author:
ContributorPublish date:
Jan 3, 2019
What do you see as an interesting trend in broadcasting going into 2019?
For live events, particularly sports, the evolution from on-site production teams to remote integration (REMI) or at home production is in full swing and will continue in 2019. We're seeing particular interest in the use of cloud-based production infrastructure, which allows the production team to operate virtually from anywhere in the world. This provides a lot of flexibility and efficiency, but there are challenges too.
What are the biggest challenges in moving to remote production?
Connectivity is one major obstacle in moving live productions away from the venue. Think about a live sporting event that may have dozens of cameras shooting in high-resolution video formats. Broadcast quality mezzanine content must be streamed live from each camera in the venue to the cloud-based production environment.
This isn't any easy task. Not only is a lot of bandwidth required, but the robustness of the network is very important in the delivery of high-quality content. Dedicated networks engineered specifically for video are often used, but the downside is that these networks can be very expensive and may not be available for all productions in all venues.
Are there new solutions to the connectivity problem?
Yes. With Signiant's latest transport technology, it's now practical to use the public internet for live contribution feeds. Our patented technology effectively eliminates the impact of latency and jitter to achieve maximum network utilisation and those benefits apply to both files and streams.
What is the difference between a file and a stream?
Good question! The distinction is really in how the data is stored. A file is data that is stored on persistent storage (e.g. a hard disk or solid state drive). With streaming, a system receives many small portions of the overall data set, with each part cached on non-persistent storage. Watching Netflix is an example of streaming; the data on the receiving end is never stored on a drive.
So how does Signiant work for live streams?
Installing Signiant software in the streaming path from the venue to the production facility can provide a secure engineered network experience over the public internet without the cost of a dedicated network. Signiant's network optimisation software eliminates the impact of network jitter, latency and loss to support a more consistent bit rate. A more consistent bit rate enables the encoder(s) to operate at a much higher bit rate - delivering the highest quality end-to-end stream ultimately benefiting the consumer. Streaming over IP networks traditionally equated to lower quality, but this is no longer true.
Are there other applications where the optimisation of streams is useful?
Yes, there are growing use cases that involve B-to-B delivery of unique video streams. For example, distribution of content for localisation is sometimes achieved via Signiant-powered streams. This makes the content harder to pirate and provides an extra level of security, and with our technology a standard internet connection is sufficient.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
04/02/2026
The 11th-annual Summit will not only the unprecedented headwinds facing the business, but also the groundbreaking opportunities for the future....
04/02/2026
Just moments before the 2026 Grammy Awards kicked off, members of the event's audio team assembled for a group photo at the base of the stage inside Los Ang...
04/02/2026
At the Vienna Interdisciplinary Symposium on Aortic Repair (VISAR), Riedel Communications' Managed Technology Division delivered a turnkey technical infrast...
04/02/2026
The Mountain West Conference announces a new media rights package featuring CBS ...
04/02/2026
Earlier this week, the NFL announced it would play regular season games in Madrid, Paris, and Mexico City in 2026 as part of a nine-game international schedule,...
04/02/2026
Custom-built carts carry music speakers for Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime S...
04/02/2026
In an era of constrained spectrum, two tactics have emerged: work closely with regulatory bodies and utilize engineering chops
The Federal Communications Commi...
04/02/2026
Three examples of how wireless microphones are deployed to bring fans in deep and up close
Microphone manufacturers have myriad ways to put wireless to work fo...
04/02/2026
The mic manufacturer will join other suppliers in the new Rock Nashville production campus
Sennheiser is relocating its U.S. headquarters from its long-time lo...
04/02/2026
Olivia Colman and John Lithgow appear in Jimpa by Sophie Hyde, an official selection of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sundance Institute | pho...
04/02/2026
Lyrics are one of Spotify's most popular features, giving fans a richer way to experience the music and artists they love. They're viewed hundreds of mi...
04/02/2026
Queer Renegades: SBS Audio's new podcast reclaiming Australia's queer hi...
04/02/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) invites final-year animation students to participate in an exclusive creative showcase at the Annecy International...
04/02/2026
Viper Shield's robust phase of flight-testing production representative hard...
04/02/2026
Pilot To Launch with Super Bowl LX on February 8 and Continue with High Profile Live Events, Entertainment and Sports
Nielsen to Use State of the Art Wearable...
04/02/2026
New control solution applies broadcast robotics workflows to PTZ cameras with third-party integration and upgrade paths
Vinten, a global leader in robotic cam...
04/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/02/2026
Katie Vitolins Announced as Vice President of Alumni Products and Services An alumna and former trustee, Vitolins will lead the relaunch of Berklee's alum...
04/02/2026
Wednesday 4 February 2026
Full cast announced for Saturday Night Live UK, comin...
04/02/2026
Wednesday 4 February 2026
Fear of running out of mobile data (FORO) is a real i...
04/02/2026
Rohde & Schwarz powers next generation television in Brazil with DTV technology...
04/02/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Shares Teaser of the Third and Final Season of Knokke Off
Entertainment
04 February 2026
GlobalNetherlands
Link copied to clipboar...
04/02/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Premieres The TikTok Killer on March 6
Entertainment
04 February 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Download the pictures
...
04/02/2026
Back to All News
Music Is Having a Golden Moment on Netflix as New and Nostal...
04/02/2026
Fox Corporation Reports Second Quarter Fiscal 2026 Financial Results NEW YORK, NY, February 4, 2026 - Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX; FOX or the Compan...
04/02/2026
Lucas P. Arag n Joins FOX Advertising as Senior Vice President, Creative New York, NY - February 4, 2026 - Accomplished Creative Executive Lucas P. Arag n has...
04/02/2026
Following the passing of our friend and colleague Hugh Wallace, and with the full support of his family, RT will proceed with the broadcast of the new series o...
04/02/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of the Nemotron Labs blog series, which exp...
03/02/2026
Tagboard, a modern, interactive graphics system for news, sports, and entertainm...
03/02/2026
Studio Network Solutions (SNS) announces the launch of Trio, a new S3-compatible cloud storage service fully integrated with EVO for media backup, archival, and...
03/02/2026
50 Production Trucks at center of 160 U.S.-based productions...
03/02/2026
Nielsen, which specializes in audience measurement, data, and media intelligence, announces that it is piloting a new methodology enhancement to more accurately...
03/02/2026
Appear's X Platform will be used by NBC Sports to deliver video compression, satellite modulation and transport stream aggregation for its production of the...
03/02/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
03/02/2026
NHL Network announces its comprehensive programming schedule for the upcoming Winter Olympic Games, underscoring the highly anticipated return of NHL players to...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports has chosen Canon to deliver 115 Canon UHD broadcast lenses for its production of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. Canon will also send suppo...
03/02/2026
Audio-Technica equipment will be used by NBC Sports to deliver much of its audio capture requirements across all sporting venues for its production of the 2026 ...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will use Cisco to deliver AI networking technology for its all-IP production of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, including the deployment of...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will utilize Chyron PRIME CG to produce live broadcast graphics to display names, athlete information, scores, statistics, leaderboards, headshots an...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will utilize Grass Valley to deliver advanced signal conversion, rout...
03/02/2026
NBC Sports will utilize Planar to deliver leading-edge fine pixel pitch LED video wall technology for its production of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics...
03/02/2026
Taking place in two venues, the 2026 production celebrates the 150th Anniversary of the Super Bowl of Dogs'
When the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show conc...
03/02/2026
For the indoor production, NEP Specialty Capture has mounted a 100-ft. overhead ...
03/02/2026
MTVG Edge, the production-services supplier's software-based production solu...