Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) BroadcastAsia2016 Show Daily - Day 2 | Page 16

16 BROADCASTASIA2016 SHOWDAILY 16 1 June 2016 The flexibility of software-centric broadcast by joe khodeir The demands of ‘anytime, anywhere’ video content consumption are putting pressure on traditional broadcast production and playout facilities around the world. The Asia-Pacific market is particularly complex, encompassing a wide range of demographic and economic profiles. High adoption rates of pay-TV, fixed and mobile broadband in the region, alongside a regional tendency towards mobile content consumption, are responsible for some of the most innovative over-the-top (OTT) ecosystems in the world, according to Pyramid Research. Competitiveness in this kind of environment demands a flexibility and costeffectiveness that most traditional hardware-dependent broadcast facilities simply cannot achieve. Severing the broadcast industry’s dependency on specialised hardware is the key to successfully navigating the demands of modern consumers. In fact, moving operations towards a software-centric, or virtualised, operational model based on generic computing resources will deliver immediate benefits on a number of important counts. This IT-inspired way of working enables broadcasters to tear down the age-old barriers that have prevented traditional broadcasters from pursuing lucrative monetisation opportunities. In a hardware-dominated environment, a new channel launch is capital-intensive and time-consuming. In the past, this has discouraged media companies from taking risks around potential new monetisation opportunities, causing them to miss out in regions like Asia-Pacific. The ability to quickly launch ‘pop-up channels’ is an example of the agility provided by a software-based infrastructure. When media processing and playout operations are executed on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment such as the software-based Imagine Communications Versio playout solution, a channel launch is nearly as easy as pressing a button. Med ia companies can try new markets with the freedom to get creative or even fail without huge monetary consequences. Another benefit of an IP-based facility emerges from the staggering financial losses that can be caused by an event that takes a broadcaster off the air, even for just a few hours. Instead of building out and maintaining a mirrored playout system at the same location or at a remote site, which mostly sits idle, broadcasters can call upon a virtualised offsite environment off site almost instantaneously. In a cloud-based disaster recovery or business continuity situation, a rapid transition can be performed from the primary Transcoding OTT Video Management Global Media Transport MediaFlex Consulting Services Platform Solutions Partner Services Content Acquisition System Integration Content Delivery Network playout to a virtualised backup system located in a data centre anywhere in the world. Best of all, backup operations only cost the broadcaster when they are needed and used. Finally, a software-centric environment ensures a broadcaster is ready to face the technology upgrades that mark the broadcast world. By freeing functionality such as transcoding and master control from its dependency on specialised hardware, media companies can support new standards faster and more cost-efficiently. Decades-old geographical constraints can be overcome as operations are executed from anywhere, saving on both human and technical resources. A software-centric infrastructure also exploits the price/performance benefits of COTS equipment, which, according to the dictates of Moore’s Law, double every couple of years. This doesn’t mean, however, that broadcasters must bin their current equipment to wipe the slate clean. They can choose to roll out a hybrid operational model in a more staged manner, in a bid to maintain their initial appliance-style approach and monetise existing hardware investments as they complete a longer-term transition towards a software-centric makeover. Imagine Communications’ hybrid transition approach is anchored by its Magellan SDN Orchestrator management and monitoring system, which provides a software Imagine Communications’ hybrid transition approach is anchored by its Magellan SDN Orchestrator management and monitoring system. overlay that allows media companies to control both SDI and IP-based components of the network with familiar interfaces and control surfaces. A virtualised business continuity application is also a great way to ease into an all-software based production environment. Broadcasters and other media companies can transfer primary facilities to a softwarebased environment, one channel at a time. Ultimately, the key to a successful transition to the virtual world is to partner with a company that can guide the broadcaster through the process and tailor a plan of action to maximise the return on investment from existing technology. ❑ Joe Khodeir is senior vice-president AsiaPacific, Imagine Communications (booth 5B3-03). MediaFlex From Source to Screen A complete solution to deliver, manage and monetise digital video. Digital Solutions Delivered Visit us on stand 4C6-03 to discover our full range of media solutions designed to help service providers create a profitable OTT business tailored to specific market requirements. Contact us Email: [email protected] Broadcast_Asia_2_20160428.indd 1 13/05/2016 6:02 PM