There's a lot more acceptance of the cloud and a lot less fear'
17/11/2022
By Contributor
Published: November 17, 2022
Globecast's Ian Redgewell explains how the power of the cloud is leading to a true operational paradigm shift as well as opening up new ways of working and thinking
target=_blank title=Share on LinkedIn class=share-linkedin>
The cloud, and the rapidly increasing use of it across the media and entertainment space, has dominated headlines for some time now. Indeed, for many we may be reaching saturation point in this regard. But the cloud, and the transitions it's powering, are worth discussing and explaining as this is a true operational paradigm shift and it opens up new ways of working and thinking.
Approximately 18 months ago, Globecast began a detailed strategic process, using the huge amount of knowledge 30 years as a media services provider brings, to explore the market and fully understand the challenges customers face across their digital transformations. The result is four key strategic growth initiatives: media supply chain; OTT ecosystems; remote production; and digital platforms.
While these are clearly separate subsectors, there's one common technical theme that underpins this and that's the use of the cloud. Of course, our use of the cloud isn't new, but the scale and depth of use is, as it is with many of our customers. So where are we at with this transformation as a global media services supplier and where are our customers at with it?
Pre-Covid, we were helping customers move their content into the cloud. Now, we're helping them move their broadcast workflows into the cloud. What the cloud brings is very quick time-to-market for service launches and great flexibility to add/amend those services, or to create pop-up services as and when required. This is important in helping test new markets and new content ideas quickly and cost-effectively.
What we see from our customers is there's now a lot more acceptance of the cloud and a lot less fear. Because of this, customers really aren't concerned with whether it's cloud or on premise as long as they get the service they pay for from us at a price that suits them. Whether it's in the cloud or not is not top of their list of priorities. Strategically, cloud use may be beneficial to them because they are operating - at least partially - in the cloud and in terms of inputs/outputs, it suits them. They are buying a service - or services - from us and as long as we deliver absolutely the service that we have defined with them, it's not a concern for them.
Our strategy is to move everything to the cloud, apart from some obvious exceptions for example, a satellite uplink requires a satellite dish - so we still need to have teleports. And there are some customers that aren't quite ready for the cloud, so we may have to come out of it and use a more traditional, physical approach to get what we need from them. That still happens. The less physical boxes that we have running, the better.
Working closely with AWS we announced earlier this year we joined the AWS Partner Network, extending our reach with them - gives us the cloud power that we and our customers need.
There's considerable technical work required on top of this to create the services, and GUIs, that we need. As an example, it's vital our operations people be able to configure a given service - Globecast Managed Cloud Network (MCN) is a prime example of this, to which I will return quickly and easily using a simple GUI. A lot of current focus is to ensure that our operators in our MCRs - or working remotely - have a simple interface with which to interact.
All of the playout channels we operate are cloud-based now, even if for distribution they have to come out of the cloud to go to a traditional satellite uplink: the backend processing is in the cloud.
We're far along the process of moving all relevant processes into the cloud. We started by identifying the processes that we could move first and that was largely around media management and where we're working across file storage and processing, including things like VoD logistics and cloud playout. Driven by customer demand, now we're moving into wider signal distribution via the cloud. We've sold services where customers are shutting down their satellite distribution and moving to IP and we need the cloud to do that.
We're seeing growth in adhoc distribution in this regard. Say you have a season of a particular sports championship to cover that takes place at various locations globally. A given customer no longer wants to simply distribute that to, say, Europe via satellite as they don't want to bear that cost nor be limited to that footprint. They want to be able to distribute it via the internet to other global takers. We can do that now and that's gaining a lot of traction with different sports content providers/rights holders. That IP distribution may be instead of, or alongside, satellite. This also applies to adhoc news services.
Cloud playout and our VoD services - which fall under the wider bracket of media supply chain are mature now and we do this in all our major regions - Hallmark Media in the US and Virgin TV Ultra HD spring immediately to mind.
Then there's our Managed Cloud Network service, which highlights the advantages of cloud use. This allows content providers to select very precisely what affiliates/takers receive which content which parts of an event they want to air and they can select as little or as much, depending on the rights, without the need for any fibre or satellite connectivity. Equidia, the PMU-owned, France-based horse racing channel, is using MCN for preci
LINK: | https://www.tvbeurope.com/media-management/theres-a-lot-more-acceptanc... |
See more stories from tvb |
More from TVB Europe
19/04/2024
How 1185 Films created the VFX on new horror, All You Need Is Death
Simon Wilkinson, head of VFX at 1185 films, talks about the technology behind the newly-released horror By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 19, 2024 Simo...
19/04/2024
Could Sony be preparing a bid for Channel 5's parent company?
The global electronics company is said to be considering joining forces with investment firm Apollo Management to bid for Paramount Global By Jenny Priestley ...
19/04/2024
EBU report highlights contribution of free-to-air sport broadcasting
The report broke the economic footprint of EBU member sports broadcasting into three main areas By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 19, 2024 The report b...
18/04/2024
How today's storage and memory decisions underpin future creativity
Ann Keefe, Regional Director - UK and Ireland at Kingston Technology, explains how storage and memory decisions made now are underpinning creativity in the futu...
18/04/2024
Escape Studios obtains UKVI licence to support international students
The newly acquired UKVI licence enables Escape Studios to recruit and retain international students By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 18, 2024 Updated: ...
18/04/2024
NAB 2024 popular among first time visitors
Attendees from more than 163 countries were present, including 34 delegation buying groups from around the world By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 18, 202...
17/04/2024
Colorfront showcases upgrades across product range
Colorfront has introduced AI vision-analysis tools to assist master QC operations with detecting framing anomalies, dead pixels, bright titles and sparkles By ...
17/04/2024
Meet the Founder and director
By TVBEurope Staff Published: April 17, 2024 Updated: April 18, 2024 Rory Springthorpe, founder and director at outside broadcasting company Vivid Broadc...
16/04/2024
Adobe previews generative AI tools to streamline professional video workflows
New generative AI tools will enable users of Adobe Premiere Pro to streamline editing all videos, including adding or removing objects in a scene or extending a...
16/04/2024
Atomos appoints Daniel Moore as new chief technical officer
Moore has led the development effort for over 20 products in the AV space By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 16, 2024 Moore has led the development effo...
16/04/2024
UNIT deliver picture post and colour grade for new BBC1 drama series
Coles enhanced colour separation, adding shape and depth to the characters through the use of a soft highlight and shadow roll off, and embracing the natural te...
15/04/2024
SiliconCore adds to XR range with new 1.2mm XR LED Display
SiliconCores patented Common Cathode driver chip delivers frame rates of 240 Hz and a refresh rate of 7680Hz, enabling slow motion, multi-camera view and multip...
15/04/2024
Naphtali Cave joins MOOV
The UK-based virtual studio, sports and events graphics company has appointed Naphtali Cave into a newly created role to drive technical innovation and creativi...
13/04/2024
Blackmagic Design unveils game-changer' URSA Cine 12K
The company has also unveiled DaVinci Resolve 19, which adds new AI tools, as well as over 100 feature upgrades By Jenny Priestley Published: April 13, 2024 ...
12/04/2024
Filming in extreme conditions: Mammals production team reveal all
Producer/directors Stuart Armstrong and Will Lawson detail the specialist cameras used to capture the footage for the series Dark and Cold episodes By Matthew ...
12/04/2024
Cinedeck partners with Paramount to create MTV integrated delivery platform
Cinedecks new ConneX Hub master tool leverages Adobe Frame.io and the companys ConneX products By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 12, 2024 Cinedeck'...
12/04/2024
Nikon completes acquisition of RED
The acquisition aims to enable the development of distinctive products, while leveraging the business foundations of both Nikon and Red By Matthew Corrigan P...
12/04/2024
Alison Pavitt joins Blue Lucy
She joins joins Blue Lucy after a number of years at Pebble By Jenny Priestley Published: April 12, 2024 Updated: April 15, 2024 She joins joins Blue Lu...
11/04/2024
Setting a new standard for storage
EditShare's new EFS NVMe storage solution allows creative professionals to deliver their 4K and 8K projects with unprecedented levels of performance and thr...
11/04/2024
It took 20 years to get here': Filmlight debuts media access tool
Nara can natively decode and playback a wide selection of media without the need to transcode to proxy files By Jenny Priestley Published: April 11, 2024 U...
11/04/2024
UK MPs call for freelancers' commissioner for creative industry
The Committee has recommended the establishment of a cross-departmental Freelancers Commissioner By Matthew Corrigan Published: April 11, 2024 Updated: Apr...
11/04/2024
Preserving TV's technological heritage
Jenny Priestley meets a group of enthusiasts who are working to preserve TV technology from across the decades, including cameras, OB trucks and telecine machin...
11/04/2024
Rise Academy announces new leadership, London Summer School to return
Andy Beale, Lisa Collins and Jackie Howes will lead the charity By Jenny Priestley Published: April 11, 2024 Andy Beale, Lisa Collins and Jackie Howes wil...
11/04/2024
Editor's choice: Ten things to look out for at 2024 NAB Show
From artificial intelligence and an autonomously AI-powered humanoid robot, to an immersive golf experience and our first proper look at Sphere, this is whats o...
10/04/2024
VFX house UNIT moves into new London home
UNIT will now have numerous VFX suites housing Flame, Flame Assist, Nuke and Nuke Studio, while the lower ground floor will house MCR, QC and Open Studio workin...
09/04/2024
Workflow solutions provider ERA expands into London
The office is equipped to embrace a hybrid way of working so teams can collaborate no matter where they are based, added the company By Jenny Priestley Publi...
09/04/2024
Limecraft and OOONA form AI subtitling partnership
The collaboration aims to provide content producers with streamlined subtitling processes through the use of AI and automation, enabling them to extend the reac...
09/04/2024
Harmonic concludes current market conditions' do not support video business sale
The company has also announced the appointment of Nimrod Ben-Natan as CEO, effec...
08/04/2024
Santiago Solanas announced as new Dalet CEO
Following a 30 year career at technology firms including Sage, Oracle, Cisco, IBM and Microsoft, Santiago Solanas replaces departing CEO, Carl Farrell, who will...
08/04/2024
Grass Valley highlights innovation at NAB Show
The technology provider for the live media and entertainment industry is marking its 65th anniversary with a cluster of breakthrough camera and switcher enhance...
08/04/2024
TVBEurope April 2024 issue out now
With a busy calendar of sport plus elections in both the UK and US ahead, the April issue focuses on the latest advances in live production. We meet the sound d...
08/04/2024
Opinion: Why trade shows can and must evolve
#GalsNGear founder Amy DeLouise explains how media technology trade shows can take intentional steps to fully reflect the full diversity of people who are part ...
08/04/2024
New London office for Advanced Systems Group
Opening in May and located in Aviation House, in Londons Holborn district, the new ASG UK headquarters will have the flexibility to adapt to future expansion B...
05/04/2024
Administrators appointed to Winnersh Film Studios Limited
A release says the other legal entities within the Stage 50 group are not currently in administration and continue to trade as normal By Kevin Emmott Publish...
04/04/2024
Ripley: The Sounds of Silence
Theres a lot going on in the darkness. Kevin Emmott meets sound mixer Maurizio Argentieri to find out why it was so important to amplify the silence in the Netf...
04/04/2024
VVC delivers less pain for the grain
The Media Coding Industry Forum is exploring ways to develop end-to-end film-grain management for modern digital environments By Kevin Emmott Published: Apri...
04/04/2024
IBC announces this year's Accelerator Programme
More than 180 organisations have participated in the Accelerator Programme since 2019, and it has delivered POCs for 35 projects By Kevin Emmott Published: A...
04/04/2024
New CEO announced at Viaccess-Orca
Kohler has over 20 years of international experience in senior management roles at Orange By Kevin Emmott Published: April 4, 2024 Kohler has over 20 year...
03/04/2024
Avid appoints Wellford Dillard as CEO
With more than 20 years of experience in the software industry, Dillard was previously CEO of marketing SaaS provider Marigold By Kevin Emmott Published: Apr...
02/04/2024
Changes at the top of the DPP
The DPP has transferred the role of CEO from Mark Harrison to Rowan de Pomerai, with Harrison taking the role of founder and chief content officer By Kevin Emm...
02/04/2024
Premier Sports to relaunch in the UK on April 9
Premier Sports will include coverage of the Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup, International football fixtures, LALIGA, and more By Kevin Emmott Published: A...
28/03/2024
The 4K cameras giving audiences an astronaut's view of Earth
TVBEurope meets Charles Black, founder and CEO of Sen, which has sent a payload of 4K cameras to the ISS to livestream images of Earth to audiences around the w...
27/03/2024
I knew there were cameras, lighting, some buttons and microphones involved': How Crew Room Academy is inspiring the next generation
TVBEurope hears from some of the students who took part in Crew Room Academys Sc...
27/03/2024
Adobe reveals Gen AI solutions for content supply chain
Elsewhere, Adobe revealed a new feature in Adobe Firefly, which uses the companys generative AI to easily apply the structure of an existing image to newly gene...
27/03/2024
Best of Show Awards for 2024 NAB Show entries close soon
The awards, from industry-leading brands of Future plc, provide a great opportunity for companies to stand out at one the most attended shows in the industry B...
27/03/2024
Meet the director of IT and operations
By TVBEurope Staff Published: March 27, 2024 Updated: March 28, 2024 CueScript's director of IT and operations, Meghan Tyler, tells TVBEurope about h...
26/03/2024
Crown Works Studios moves forward following council approval
The studios are expected to be one of the largest in Europe, with 20 premium sound stages suitable for major feature film and high-end TV (HETV) productions By...
25/03/2024
Blackbird adds indexing and AI auto sequencing to video editing platform
Twelve Labs AI will enable editors to locate specific storytelling moments within their video content using natural language, said the companies By Jenny Pries...
25/03/2024
Meet the director of strategic marketing
By TVBEurope Staff Published: March 25, 2024 Updated: March 26, 2024 Bruno Fran on, director of strategic marketing at Backlight, talks to TVBEurope abou...
22/03/2024
Grass Valley secures $220 million in strategic refinancing
The company said it intends to accelerate innovation across its entire portfolio, most notably in the AMPP ecosystem following the refinancing By Jenny Priestl...