Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Cloud Ground Canal: Blue Lucy at IBC 2023

06/08/2023

I was quite pleased to be asked recently by a Canadian colleague what our theme would be for the upcoming IBC. For me, theme reflects the ethos of the Blue Lucy approach to trade shows, we don't tend to talk about product features or the specific capabilities in our roadmap.

Development of features and connectors is just something we do in pursuit of delivering customer value. If an operator needs a connector to a system or service, we will build it into a microservice BLidget - which we've been producing at a rate of two a week for five-years. Listing 450+ BLidgets or detailing our CORE or UI functions in a tradeshow press-release doesn't convey the value of our BLAM platform or approach. We prefer to showcase business-focused solutions, which tend to follow a theme that relates to industry business needs at that time.

Forecasting Cloud Some will remember our cloud stand at IBC 2018 it was very popular with the crowd, particularly after the show closed. At that time, we were about 18-months into the development of BLAM-3 and around a year out from the completion of the first customer implementations with PLAZA Media and Off the Fence. Our 2018 IBC cloud stand was a little tongue-in-cheek, highlighting the paradox of demonstrating a cloud-based platform from a dark hall in the Rai. Then (three years on from AWS's acquisition of Elemental) the media and broadcast industry was finally beginning to appreciate the functional power and flexibility of cloud services. The trend - and our IBC 2018 theme was very much about cloud migration which we thought was inexorable, hence the stand design the cloud is now, and Blue Lucy is there, ready.

But the BLAM platform was actually designed to be completely infrastructure agnostic so it can be deployed in any cloud, or on-prem, infrastructure. This is a core tenet of the architecture, although we forecast that the vast majority of deployments would run in cloud infrastructure. Five years on, we are surprised as to how deployments have manifested.

A Mixed Reality Eighty percent of our customer base is operating cloud-ground hybrid BLAMs. These systems tend to have the core services of the databases and the application interface together with one or more workflow runners (the microservice orchestrators) running in cloud infrastructure, typically provisioned by Blue Lucy as a managed service. In addition, workflow runners are deployed on-prem' at the operator facility. These manage on-prem storage, LTO libraries and other resources such as rights management systems, transcoders, file-based QC tools, edit systems (Avid and Adobe) as well as baseband recording and playout systems.

In hindsight, it was unwise for the industry to assume that the entire production and distribution capability would move to the cloud over a few short years. In many cases, it just doesn't make sense: operators do not wish to move away from on-prem tools that are providing business value, and that are still being amortised. For distributors, the concept of forklifting their inventory, which may extend to many petabytes, to cloud storage doesn't make economic sense. Using the cloud for distribution, particularly to FAST or OTT platforms is very common and workflows that utilise cloud services are extremely efficient. BLAM operators are using these pipelines for content distribution to fulfil content sales - this model of leaving material where it is until it's needed or can be monetised' is common. Equally, we have a number of customers who operate with all browse material in cloud storage, but delivery is fulfilled from cloud or ground based on which is the most cost-effective overall. Naturally that logic is built into the BLAM workflows.

IBC Theme https://bluelucy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/LandscapeBLM2023.mp4

There are many and varied reasons why media operators cannot, or do not want to go all in for the cloud or why they wish to control the migration. So, it is ground-cloud, hybrid workflows which will form the basis of our theme for IBC2023 where we'll showcase how Blue Lucy customers are harmonising on-prem systems and cloud services and applications to create highly efficient and cost-effective media workflows with BLAM. In short, we'll be bringing the cloud to earth at IBC2023.

I plan to revisit this topic in more detail in the run up to the event but in the meantime do make an appointment to meet with us at the show. We are keen to talk on the basis of operational outcomes, we can work out the most cost-effective place to run the workload later, and even change our mind. We are at stand 6.C29.
LINK: https://bluelucy.com/cloud-ground-ibc-23/...
See more stories from bluelucy

Most recent headlines

09/11/2025

Dalet Unveils Agentic AI Media Workflows at IBC2025

Dalet today announced a transformative leap forward for media operations: Agentic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that unifies the Dalet ecosystem under one natura...

15/10/2025

Reporting that changes lives: Announcing the Young Journalist finalists 2025

Across the world, early-career reporters are interrogating systems that shape daily life, from mortuaries and classrooms to the corridors of legal education and...

15/10/2025

St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open Video

St. Louis Blues Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne in New Pregame Open VideoThe NHL franchise worked with production firms 2WEI and 4th Floor CreativeBy Mark J Burns,...

15/10/2025

Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsorships

Cobalt Digital, G3DVu, Proxima Vision, and Telos Alliance Renew Premier Sponsors...

15/10/2025

The Remaining Native Team on the Sundance Institute Labs, Community and More

By Paige Bethmann Before my grandmother passed away in 2019, I went to visit her in the hospital where she'd been for a few weeks. When I arrived, the nurs...

15/10/2025

Spotify Celebrates Two Years of Audiobooks in Premium, Fueling Growth and Discovery Across the Publishing World

Two years ago, Spotify set out to grow the entire publishing industry by making ...

15/10/2025

DJ Levels Up With Spanish-Language Requests, Text Requests, and Personalized Prompts

People turn to DJ for a listening experience that feels personal, dynamic, and j...

15/10/2025

DJ evoluciona con solicitudes en espaol, peticiones por texto y recomendaciones personalizadas

Las personas recurren a DJ para vivir una experiencia de escucha personal, din m...

15/10/2025

Bruce Springsteen and Jeremy Allen White Unite in London for an Exclusive Spotify Conversation and Film Preview

Rock legend Bruce Springsteen and luminary actor Jeremy Allen White came togethe...

15/10/2025

Meet Spotify's RADAR Creators Global Class of 2025, the Next Wave of Podcast Talent

At Spotify, we're all about supporting rising talent and helping them connec...

15/10/2025

New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS On Demand

New SBS Documentary Series THE CANCER KILLERS Premieres 4 November on SBS & SBS ...

15/10/2025

SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across the network

SBS celebrates the Festivals of Lights with bold, illuminating stories across th...

15/10/2025

Seeking Astrobiological Potential Millions of Miles from Earth

One of humanity's most profound questions continues: Is there any place in our galaxy suitable for life beyond Earth? NASA intends to find out, with the hel...

15/10/2025

Austin PBS Expands Facility-Wide Production Communications with Clear-Com

eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......

15/10/2025

Scality debuts industry-first AI certifications with more...

Scality, a global leader in cyber-resilient storage software for the AI era, today announced the advancement of its comprehensive AI ecosystem certification pro...

15/10/2025

2026 HPA Tech Retreat to Deliver Insight Innovation and I...

The Hollywood Professional Association (HPA) today unveiled key highlights of the 2026 HPA Tech Retreat, scheduled for Feb. 15 19 at the Westin Rancho Mirage Go...

15/10/2025

Interra Systems Drives Quality Compliance and Monetizatio...

At NAB Show New York 2025 (Stand 244), Interra Systems will showcase the future of media QC, monitoring, and captioning, highlighting its award-winning, AI- and...

15/10/2025

RMC BFM Group Selects Grass Valley to Power its Transitio...

Grass Valley today announced that RMC BFM, part of the CMA-CGM Group and France's third-largest private media group, has chosen Grass Valley's productio...

15/10/2025

Appear to Showcase Next-Generation Hybrid Live Production...

Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future of hybrid, s...

15/10/2025

Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert

Rakim to Join Berklee's Hip-Hop Hall of Fame at Signature Series Concert The rap icon becomes the latest inductee, following luminaries such as Roxanne Sh...

15/10/2025

Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles

Berklee Brings Live Music to the Head of the Charles Student artists will perform on multiple riverfront stages during the 60th anniversary of the world's...

15/10/2025

CobbTV Taps Pebble for Playout Automation

CobbTV, the government access television channel for Cobb County, Ga. recently acquired an automated playout system from Pebble, a global provider of automation...

15/10/2025

Appear to Showcase Next-Generation Hybrid Live Production at NAB Show NY

OSLO, Norway Appear, the global leader in live production technology, will demonstrate how its powerful hardware and software innovations are shaping the future...

15/10/2025

NBA Unveils Updated NBA App and Reimagined' NBA TV

NEW YORK The NBA is making major changes to the NBA App and NBA TV as it takes control of them from TNT Sports, which has long managed the league's digital ...

15/10/2025

DirecTV Announces Major Expansion of Interactive AI-Powered Features

SAN MATEO, Calif. In what promises to be a major expansion of interactive features and personalized content on the DirecTV platform, the operator and Glance hav...

15/10/2025

Roku Upgrades User Interface to Showcase Original Content

SAN JOSE, Calif. Roku has launched changes to its user interface (UI) that the streaming platform says will better showcase original programming on the platform...

15/10/2025

OpenDrives Promotes Alex Dunfey to CTO

LOS ANGELES Software-defined data storage and data services provider OpenDrives has elevated Alex Dunfey to chief technology officer, responsible for driving th...

15/10/2025

Space42 and Autonomous A2Z Partner to Advance Smart Mobility Ecosystem in the UAE

Abu Dhabi, UAE October 15, 2025: Space42 (ADX: SPACE42), the UAE-based AI-powe...

15/10/2025

Third series of Dream Car Fixers confirmed for U and U&YESTERDAY

Sheldon Nichols and Will Trickett to find and prepare more classic cars for budget conscious would-be owners from Wiser Films UKTV have recommissioned the clas...

15/10/2025

Sky celebrates Nick Cave in upcoming one-off special, The Veiled World of Nick Cave (w/t)

Wednesday 15 October 2025 Nick Cave JPEG (275 KB) Explore the creative univer...

15/10/2025

The Textorcist: Brits confess their scariest messaging moments

Wednesday 15 October 2025 From breaking up with your partner to quitting your job - new polling shows some messages are just too scary to send Over a fifth (...

15/10/2025

Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advanced performance meets affordability

Rohde & Schwarz unveils compact MXO 3 oscilloscopes with 4 and 8 channels: Advan...

15/10/2025

Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia

Back to All News Revenge Series The Resurrected' Captivates Audiences Across Asia Entertainment 15 October 2025 GlobalTaiwan Link copied to clipboard ...

15/10/2025

Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline

Back to All News Bringing the Best in VFX and Virtual Production Together as Eyeline Jeffrey Shapiro CEO, Eyeline Business 15 October 2025 GlobalCanadaInd...

15/10/2025

NESN Redefines Regional Sports Video Delivery with Harmonic

Deployed by Astound Business Solutions, Harmonic's Primary Distribution Solution Ensures Outstanding Video Quality and Seamless Ad Insertion at the Edge SA...

15/10/2025

RMC BFM Group Selects Grass Valley to Power its Transition to IP and UHD Production

Collaboration extends a trusted relationship as RMC BFM invests in scalable, fut...

15/10/2025

First look at new RT comedy-drama These Sacred Vows

Series coming in 2026 stars Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Justine Mitchell and Jason O'Mara released today RT today released first look images of new comedy-drama ...

14/10/2025

SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe Summit 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAYNetworking event that preceded IBC2025 shone a light on elite live sports innovation acro...

14/10/2025

SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revolutionized NFL Broadcasting'

SVG Sit-Down: Author Rich Podolsky on Writing Madden & Summerall: How They Revo...

14/10/2025

SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacing

SVG All-Stars: Michael Reiners, Coordinating Producer, FloRacingThe Illinois State grad steers a vast schedule of motorsports events at tracks across the countr...

14/10/2025

Content Protection: Getting the Right Management for Your DRM

Content protection: Getting the right management for your DRM By Neal Romanek Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:11 Print This Story Eluvio power the EPCR'...

14/10/2025

As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, Global Matchups, and More

As League Takes Over Ops, NBA TV and NBA App Add 60 Games, Weekday Studio Show, ...

14/10/2025

Time and Effort: World's Largest Student-Led Broadcast Prepares to Go On Air for 24 Hours this Week

Time and effort: World's largest student-led broadcast prepares to go On Air...

14/10/2025

The Perfect Neighbor Takes a Novel Approach to Examining America's Race and Gun Violence

(L-R) Guest, Kimberly Robinson Jones, Geeta Gandbhir, Pamela Dias, and Takema Ro...

14/10/2025

Spotify Premium bietet jetzt verlustfreies Audio fr ein detailreicheres Hrerlebnis

Lossless ist jetzt mit Spotify Premium verf gbar. Verlustfreies Audio war eine...

14/10/2025

La qualit Lossless arrive sur Spotify Premium, pour une exprience d'coute plus riche

La qualit Lossless est disponible sur Spotify Premium. Le format sans perte de...

14/10/2025

Ed Sheeran's Play' Hits the Pitch as Spotify and FC Barcelona Launch Latest El Clsico Jersey Takeover

For the seventh edition of Spotify and FC Barcelona's artist jersey series, ...

14/10/2025

Spotify Expands Managed Accounts for Young Listeners on Premium Family Plans

Spotify is committed to bringing the best listening experience to all our users, and that includes parents and families. That's why we're expanding mana...

14/10/2025

Spotify's Fiction Podcast Caso 63' Reaches an Epic Conclusion

Since its debut, the Spotify Original podcast Caso 63 has been more than just a story; it's been a cultural sensation. The science fiction thriller captivat...