Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

The Cloud: Getting Beyond the Wow Factor

02/05/2014

One of the largest high-profile deployments of the cloud in a broadcast environment is Fox Sports 1's use of a cloud video production platform developed by Aframe.

SAN FRANCISCO At its simplest, cloud technology is seen as a straightforward means to a wondrous end place media up into the Ethernet, and then with a few clicks, see it pulled down by someone else half-way around the world.

The reality is much more complicated, of course. The cloud craze that made headlines in 2013 was overshadowed by a long list of concerns: Copyright fears, format struggles, redundancy and security woes.

Looking at those big events over the last 12 months that relied on cloud technologies, it's clear the industry is still struggling with issues like architectural limitations and workflow bottlenecks.

There's still a perception in the industry because of these failures, that maybe online streaming is still a risk, that there's still too much drama. Will it work or will it not? said Kurt Michel, director of product marketing for Media Solutions at Akamai. We need to make sure people understand that [this technology] is robust, he said.

ASKING QUESTIONS

The first place to start is by asking questions. How robust is the solution? What is the strategy for redundancy? How do you make sure that this is going to meet 100 percent of my availability requirements?

The recently wrapped 2014 NAB Show tried to answer some of those questions, sprinkling cloud-focused sessions and speakers across the convention and showing ways that broadcasters can begin to rely on the cloud.

Cloud services have enabled media and entertainment companies to tackle distribution challenges and the complexities of offering consumers content anytime, anywhere and on any device, said Mark Ramberg, general manager of Media and Entertainment for Amazon Web Services, who offered the keynote address at the convention's two-day Media Management in the Cloud conference.

Expanding beyond the original business-to- consumer scenarios that first lit up the cloud, the technology is maturing to a point where it has begun to be leveraged for professional media workflows in both broadcast and post productions.

If you combed the NAB Show floor, it seemed that every other booth was touting a cloud-this-and-cloud-that. But in discussions with experts and manufacturers, the technology is beginning to show a maturity that is capable of handling large-scale content like 3D, HD and 4K, as well as more complex scenarios like second-screen distribution and complex content personalization.

Media industry companies are realizing that they can't keep up with the IT needs [required to handle some of these next-generation offerings], and are looking at the scalability and elasticity of the cloud, Ramberg said.

There are certainly benefits: scalable bandwidth, open storage opportunities and transcoding solutions, to name a few.

In response, the real-world examples continue to expand. One of the largest is the high-profile cloud solution being used by Fox Sports 1, a cable channel launched by Fox Sports in the summer of 2013 that includes football, baseball, NASCAR and soccer programming. To handle a number of basic workflow issues dozens and dozens of freelance stringers submitting hundreds of video files in a range of disparate formats the network created a news media submission system that allows contributing videographers to upload content to a cloud video production platform developed by Aframe, a U.K.-based developer of cloud technology for media enterprises.

Broadcast workflows today still contain steps where manual intervention, such as transcoding, is essential, [but] in competitive TV formats like sport, that simply can't exist any longer, said David Peto, CEO of Aframe.

The Aframe platform is being used to automatically transcode formats at the time of ingest, and then converts media to a DVCPRO format for editing or playout. An H.264 proxy viewing copy is created that can be viewed by stringers or editors in the field.

[It] provides an easy mechanism for making content easily accessible for people who need it immediately, in a self-service model, said Wendy Allen, vice president of media engineering at Fox Sports. It's a new paradigm shift that will save Fox time and money.

The approach makes it feasible to use a global set of freelancers, many of whom are contributing media files with different professional equipment. The solution also allows the network to save bandwidth because a proxy is created at the time of ingest, instead of requiring all material to be downloaded prior to transcoding. At the NAB Show, the company released Aframe 3.0 and announced partnerships with Sony and Panasonic to integrate cloud capabilities directly into new wireless cameras and adapters, allowing for a completely wireless workflow.

IS THIS THE YEAR?

Companies like Signiant are pointing to cloud technologies as a key reason for its recent success: an uptick in customers is directly attributable to the adoption of Signiant's hybrid SaaS solution, said Margaret Craig, CEO of Signiant.

Cloud technologies have taken off for a number of reasons, she said, including improvements in storage, advancements in speed and upgrades in security. Companies are also leaning toward the cloud's track record on redundancy issues. That's one of the things that the cloud is good at: allowing you to keep multiple files and keep them safely, she said.

This is really the year that [cloud adoption] becomes very real, Craig added, whose company has seen adoption of cloud technologies all around the world, most vociferously in the United States. The company recently introduced the new software application CloudSpeX, which validates media file formats prior to transfer, and introduced file sharing capabilities to the compan
LINK: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news/0110/the-cloud-getting-beyond-the-‘wo...
See more stories from tvtechnology

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 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...

07/05/2026

Sudan Digital Investigation Hub launches to support journalists navigating disinformation in conflict

Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...

07/05/2026

Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger on the Impact of the Dallas Cowboys Deal, Creator-Led Content, and Free In-Market Access for Fans

Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...

07/05/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Ella Peterson, University of Illinois

From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production In the ...

07/05/2026

NAB 2026: Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards

Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...

07/05/2026

Scripps National Spelling Bee Revamps Broadcast; Mina Kimes to Host, Embassy Rows Michael Davies to Produce

ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...

07/05/2026

MUBI Selects Bitmovin as Cloud VOD Encoding Partner

Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...

07/05/2026

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and U.S. Soccer Extend Spanish-Language Media Rights Through 2030

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...

07/05/2026

Angel City Football Club and Victory+ Announce Regional Broadcast Partnership

Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...

07/05/2026

Spiideo Launches AI Highlights for Automated Highlight and Clip Creation

Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...

07/05/2026

Leostream Announces Unified HPC Remote Access Ecosystem for Post-Production and Enterprise Workflows

Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...

07/05/2026

Victory+ Adds Atlanta Dream Local Broadcasts to Free Streaming Platform

The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...

07/05/2026

Riedel Communications Appoints Marc Engroff as CFO; Frank Eischet Moves to Group COO Role

Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...

07/05/2026

ARD Extends SES Satellite Distribution Agreement Through 2039

SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...

07/05/2026

Case Study: How Pro Cheer League Built a Broadcast-First Arena Production

UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...

07/05/2026

Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide Launch Womens College Volleyball Showcase at AT&T Stadium

Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...

07/05/2026

Deine persnliche Spotify DJ Experience ist jetzt in vier neuen Sprachen und weiteren Mrkten verfgbar

Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...

07/05/2026

Il DJ personalizzato di Spotify ora disponibile in 4 nuove lingue e in pi Paesi

Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...

07/05/2026

Your Personalized DJ Experience Is Expanding With 4 New Languages and More Markets

Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...

07/05/2026

Seu DJ personalizado do Spotify t chegando em mais lugares - agora em 4 novos idiomas

Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...

07/05/2026

Save Your Personal Podcast to Spotify and Listen Anywhere

From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...

07/05/2026

Spotify Celebrates API Heritage Month With New Music and Artist Spotlights

Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...

07/05/2026

Symphonic Elements Chooir by UJAM

Company announce long-requested choir instrument In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...

07/05/2026

Buchla debut Ziggy synthesizer

Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...

07/05/2026

Polyend Drums hybrid drum machine

Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...

07/05/2026

Nektar Panorama CS12: Reaper & Fender Studio Pro support

Control surface now officially supports four DAWs When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...

07/05/2026

SGL Carbon: Expected lower sales, but EBITDA margin improved. Forecast confirmed

In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...

07/05/2026

Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characterization using near-field technology

Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...

07/05/2026

L3Harris Red Wolf + SKY RAIDER II INTERNATIONAL: Unmatched Flexibility for Kinetic Strike, EW, ISR and Support Missions

Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...

07/05/2026

US Air Force Selects L3Harris to Develop Digital Infrastructure for its Advanced Battle Management System Network

L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...

07/05/2026

New Nielsen Report Shows The Profound Impact of Asian Influence on Sports and Pop Culture

Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...

07/05/2026

IAB Tech Lab Introduces Standardized Signals For CTV Ad Portfolio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/05/2026

Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 202...

Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing Cobal...

07/05/2026

FOR-A delivers creativity practicality and technical exce...

Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...

07/05/2026

Intinor brings advanced IP transport diagnostics and HDR...

Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...

07/05/2026

Bitmovin Powers Global Film Streaming Platform MUBI

Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...

07/05/2026

Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026

Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next. ...

07/05/2026

Convergence is Now Established Reality,' Says NAB 2026 Report

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/05/2026

Interra Systems to Showcase Best in Class QC Monitoring a...

At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...

07/05/2026

PlayBox Neo shines a spotlight on delivering Secure Scala...

At this year's Broadcast Asia, PlayBox Neo is set to unveil recent innovations across its PlayBox Neo Suite and integrated range of broadcast media solution...

07/05/2026

BFBS selects Synamedia to deliver New Digital Platform fo...

Strategic three-year partnership marks delivery phase of BFBS' next-generation media vision Media organisation and military charity BFBS (British Forces Br...

07/05/2026

Amagi Unlocks New Opportunities for CTV Performance with...

Amagi, the agentic industry cloud platform for unified broadcast, streaming, and monetization, today announced the availability of its In-Content Ads offering v...

07/05/2026

Lightware Introduces Rack Taurus For Clean Centralized AV...

Lightware Visual Engineering has developed Rack Taurus for rack-based environments such as education and corporate training spaces. It enables clean and simple ...

07/05/2026

Jigsaw24 Showcases End-to-End Media Workflows at MPTS 202...

Jigsaw24, the UK's leading media equipment supplier and systems integrator, will showcase its expanded end-to-end workflow capabilities at MPTS 2026, signal...

07/05/2026

Ease Live Granted US Patent for Technology Powering Perfe...

Ease Live, an Evertz company, today announced that it has been granted a US Patent for its proprietary graphical overlay technology, the foundation for interact...

07/05/2026

Leader prepares advanced Test and Measurement showcase fo...

Test & measurement innovator Leader Electronics of Europe will present an extensive range of Leader, PHABRIX and LeaderPhabrix test and measurement solutions at...