Connectivity is the key to the cloud. Overcome the obstacles of migrating from SDI to IP, with Jon Landman SVP of sales, Teradek
No matter your industry, it is clear that the cloud has started to play a far greater role in all our lives. Through new developments, we can now store unlimited amounts of media and deliver it affordably across multiple platforms faster than ever before.
Despite the conveniences behind a cloud workflow, some broadcasters are still reluctant to embrace it. I understand that a major concern for broadcasters across the board has been security. However, it is important to recognise that the five major US IT security breaches of the past 12 months – Sony, Anthem, Target, Chase Bank, and Walmart – all occurred within the local servers of each company.
Contrary to this, the AWS ‘cloud,’ which is incorporated in Teradek Core, has been certified by the MMPA, one of the toughest media protection agencies out there. So, in terms of the cloud, security is a top priority for us and less of a worry for broadcasters.
Another concern for broadcasters is accessibility to the cloud. At Teradek, we focus on offering an easy and affordable way for any broadcasters to transmit and route live video to the cloud whether via wireless, wired, cellular, or satellite. For example, 10 years ago I was selling H.264 encoders for $54,000, and now I sell Teradek encoders for under $1500. As a result, I sold one Tandberg H.264 encoder compared to over 20,000 Teradek encoders.
The cellular bonding market has evolved. Only five years ago using bonded cellular technology for video or file transmission was a $40,000 investment that had questionable quality and challenging connectivity. Today however, we offer bonding for under $1000 and a 1080P quality that can be streamed, routed and recorded in the cloud. At this IBC, you will see that virtually every operation that once ran at a television station is running in the cloud – from ingest to playout, from acquisition to archiving. It can all be done in the cloud.
For the past 20 years, a broadcasting facility has been predominantly a SDI facility. Equipment was broadcast specific and as such a broadcast engineer took care of everything: transmitting to an editing bay, an ENG camera, and to a payout server.
Since the CE is the principal controller of this domain, if the station went off air or an advertisement didn’t play, the GM knew who was responsible. On the other hand, today’s software is the new ‘hardware’ and the CE needs a completely new tool set to effective accommodate for the new business model at the lowest price point.
For example, in place of their $25,000 vector scope, a Wi-Fi analyis could be used, which is $3000 in comparison. With stations constantly streaming, tweeting and posting content nowadays, it is a bold new IP world out there for broadcasters everywhere.
In this day and age, technology is ever expanding and evolving, faster than most can keep up with. Teradek is dedicated to improving your ability to deliver affordable, HD programming and continues to advance as we make our way into the future of cloud technology.
