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 ...

06/09/2026

Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Germany with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos

June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...

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...

09/07/2026

Omaha Productions Goes All-In as World Series of Poker Main Event Returns to ESPN

With 50+ cameras, three trucks, 60+ EVS channels, RFID hole-card workflows, and ...

09/07/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Dana Shearer, Syracuse University

A recent graduate from Westchester, NY, this experienced technician has already started her first gig in the industry, as a REMI A2 Comms Specialist at ESPN In...

09/07/2026

SVG New Sponsor Spotlight: Lightcasts Andreas Kisslinger on the Role of Automation, Cloud-Based Workflows in Streaming

Live sports production is a fast-paced industry with no signs of slowing down. W...

09/07/2026

TV Skyline, thinXpool, DMC Production Collaborate on Deutsche Telekom's World Cup From NYC

From a rooftop studio in Manhattan, multiple Germany-based companies share respo...

09/07/2026

FOX One and Overtime Announce Creator Series Race to Glory for FIFA World Cup 2026

Overtime has announced a content partnership with FOX One to produce Race to Glo...

09/07/2026

Ross Production Services Standardizes on Clear-Com Intercom Across Mobile Production Fleet

Clear-Com has announced that Ross Production Services (RPS) has standardized on ...

09/07/2026

NetApp Returns as Presenting Partner of 2026 NFL Madrid Game

The NFL has announced that NetApp will return as Presenting Partner of the NFL Madrid Game, featuring the Atlanta Falcons against the Cincinnati Bengals at the ...

09/07/2026

The R&A and Cisco Announce Multi-Year Network Infrastructure Partnership

The R&A and Cisco have announced a multi-year partnership making Cisco the Official Network Supplier of The R&A and its Championships. Cisco will deploy AI-read...

09/07/2026

Fox Television Stations, Extreme Reach, and LTN Complete Live Syndication of 25 Words or Less LIVE

Fox Television Stations, Extreme Reach (XR), and LTN have announced the completi...

09/07/2026

Wynn Records Launches Direct-to-Consumer Streaming Platform Powered by Kiswe

Kiswe has announced a partnership with Wynn Records to launch the Wynn Records Network streaming platform, debuting Saturday, July 11 with a Salita Promotions b...

09/07/2026

NEP Europe Announces Multi-Year Agreement as Wimbledon Broadcast Services Provider

NEP Europe has announced a new multi-year agreement with Wimbledon Broadcast Ser...

09/07/2026

Thropic Games Raises Pre-Seed Round Led by The Famous Group

Thropic Games, a company offering casual mobile games tied to fan fundraising for sports programs, has announced a pre-seed funding round led by The Famous Grou...

09/07/2026

Game Creek Video Purchases 10 Grass Valley K-Frame Switchers for Fleet Expansion

Game Creek Video has reached an agreement with Grass Valley to purchase 10 K-Frame production switchers as part of a two-year fleet expansion. Two systems have ...

09/07/2026

Gravity Media Powers ITVs FIFA World Cup Coverage with Three-Hub Remote Production

Gravity Media is delivering a three-hub remote production workflow for ITV's...

09/07/2026

Report: North American Broadcast Journalists Spend Up to 75% of Time on Technical Workflows

A new report from Quickplay and Caretta Research, The Broadcaster Revolution Wi...

09/07/2026

DAZN to Broadcast Esports World Cup Free to Global Audiences

DAZN, the world's leading sports entertainment platform, has announced a long-term strategic partnership with the Esports World Cup Foundation to serve as t...

09/07/2026

YES Networks Mike Webb on Finding Opportunity for Innovation in Live Regional Sports Production

The regional sports network is staying busy this summer with broadcasts of the N...

09/07/2026

Universal Audio Black Box HG-2 & elysia karacter

Latest analogue-emulation plug-ins revealed Universal Audio have just added two new analogue-emulation plug-ins to their DSP-powered UAD line-up. Developed ...

09/07/2026

Neumann launch U 47 FET Bon Scott Edition

Limited-edition mic celebrates rock icon Neumann have partnered with the Bon Scott Estate to create a limited-edition version of the U 47 FET that honours b...

09/07/2026

Plugin Station: Plug-in management software

Handles organisation, updates, troubleshooting & more Created by pro-audio software developer Julian Worden, Plugin Station from Julian Michael Technologies...

09/07/2026

LANDR expand Fair Trade AI programme

Introduces new $1 million advance programme LANDR have just announced the next phase of their Fair Trade AI programme, a pioneering opt-in music-licensing p...

09/07/2026

Spitfire Audio expand low-cost Originals range

Four new titles now available Spitfire Audio have just introduced four new titles in their Originals range, bringing the total count of libraries in the low...

09/07/2026

SBS statement Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion

SBS statement Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion 9 July, 2026 Media releases SBS acknowledges the gravity of the matters before the Roy...

09/07/2026

Press Release: NFVF Sixth Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP6) Status Update

08 July 2026, Johannesburg - The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an a...

09/07/2026

Blackmagic Design Announces New UltraStudio Express 3G

Blackmagic Design Announces New UltraStudio Express 3G Brie Clayton July 9, 2026 0 Comments New extremely portable capture and playback models with 3G...

09/07/2026

Miri Introduces Self-Service Cellular Data and SIM Card Management Platform for NetConnect+ Plans

Miri Introduces Self-Service Cellular Data and SIM Card Management Platform for ...

09/07/2026

Hong Kong Jockey Club Expands Intercom Infrastructure Wit...

Riedel Communications today announced that the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), one of Asia's most prestigious horse racing organizations, has significantly up...

09/07/2026

Game Creek Video Switches On Next-Gen Production with K-F...

Leading North American mobile production facility provider standardizes on Grass Valley's fully IP-native K-Frame production switchers for its fleet of next...

09/07/2026

Miri Introduces Self-Service Cellular Data and SIM Card M...

Miri Technologies Inc. is rolling out a new online portal that provides customers and resellers with self-serve management tools and usage analytics for the com...

09/07/2026

Beeble Introduces AI-Driven SwitchHDR Converter

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

09/07/2026

DP Aakash Subramaniam Chooses ZEISS Supreme and Nano Prim...

Cinematographer Aakash Subramaniam, WICA faced a conceptual challenge: how could he make a film about dying that doesn't feel like one? The film, Our Weird...

09/07/2026

The Search for Leah Croucher: A Parent's Nightmare for U and U&W

Years in the making, this intimate documentary draws on rare access to Leah Crouchers family to tell the story behind one of Britains most high-profile missing ...

09/07/2026

Enjoy Gigafast speeds and Ultimate TV pack for less

Thursday 9 July 2026 Enjoy Gigafast speeds and Ultimate TV pack for less The latest deals have dropped from Sky TV and Sky Broadband, the award-winning provid...

09/07/2026

Local campaigns with impact

Hands up who would like to dress up as a giant crisp packet? The call that went out across the agency as our anti-litter campaign, Wish you weren't here fo...

09/07/2026

GeForce NOW Turns Up the Heat With New GeForce RTX 5080-Powered Toronto Server

This GFN Thursday brings more games, more power and more ways to play on GeForce NOW. The cloud gaming service is expanding with a new GeForce RTX 5080-powere...

08/07/2026

Aqueduct Racetrack Goes Silent

The end of the Big A' marks the demise of one more iconic sports venue and its signature sound After 132 years as one of the preeminent horse-racing track...

08/07/2026

Memphis Athletics, Learfield Continue Long-Term Partnership

Memphis Athletics and Learfield have signed a long-term renewal to their 25-year relationship, which sees Learfield's Tiger Sports Properties continue repre...

08/07/2026

T-Mobile Brings ABS Challenge System, 5G Batting Practice Cams to 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia

MLB All-Star Week returns to Philadelphia for the first time in 30 years as Amer...

08/07/2026

SVG Enterprise Launches Inaugural Enterprise Video Summit, Oct. 19 in New York

Former Wall Street Video event expanded to include all Enterprise sectors SVG Enterprise has announced the inaugural Enterprise Video Summit, taking place Oct....

08/07/2026

Wrigley Field Revamp: Chicago Cubs Upgrade LED Videoboards To Match New 1080p Control Room

An offseason project enhanced eight video displays around the venue in time for ...

08/07/2026

A Beacon on Biscayne Bay: Miami Heat Reflect on Ambitious Renovation at SVG Venues & Teams Summit

Kaseya Center has a ton of new features that weren't available to the indust...

08/07/2026

FIPRESCI Establishes Jury at Sundance Film Festival

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) and the Sundance Film Festival are pleased to announce the establishment of a FIPRESCI jury beginning wi...

08/07/2026

Universal Audio introduce Black Box HG-2 & elysia karacter

Latest analogue-emulation plug-ins revealed Universal Audio have just added two new analogue-emulation plug-ins to their DSP-powered UAD line-up. Developed ...

08/07/2026

Pitch Innovations release Loop2Kit

Turn any audio loop into a playable kit Pitch Innovations have recently introduced an interesting new tool that's capable of creating playable kits from...

08/07/2026

MonkeyC update Rando sampler plug-in

Adds new keyboard-split function MonkeyC have recently launched an update that overhauls their powerful software sampler. Described as the sampler that mad...

08/07/2026

Strymon unveil the TimeLine MX

Four new delay algorithms & dual-engine functionality Strymon have just announced that the much-anticipated MX version of their hugely popular delay pedal i...

08/07/2026

Well over half of Australia have tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup on SBS

Well over half of Australia have tuned in to watch the FIFA World Cup on SBS 7 July, 2026 Media releases Australia's Round of 32 match against Egypt a...