David Jones, vice president engineering, Matrox Video details how the company is innovating in creating “made for broadcast” IT-based solutions using general-purpose computing, on-prem, in the cloud, or both.
What impact has the pandemic and its continuing aftereffects had on the company’s approach to R&D and product development?
The forced shift to remote and hybrid work was challenging for everyone, Matrox Video included. The sudden need for remote workflows inspired Matrox Video to accelerate its cloud and remote product development initiatives to further enable flexible yet effective workflows for broadcast and remote production and operations.
Supply chain disruptions caused unplanned Engineering Change Orders (ECOs) to replace hard-to–get semiconductors which impacted development and production. Plans were adjusted to accommodate ECOs, long lead times, and remote work.
Our customers were adjusting their own roadmaps to meet their customer’s changing needs. Feature requests and API enhancements were a daily occurrence. Development methodologies had to be adjusted, as did productivity expectations, with parents sharing the same dining room table with their children attending online classes.
What are the biggest challenges you are facing in R&D and product development/deployment in the current landscape?
Customers need and want the best of remote and on-premises work arrangements, the same way they want the best of remote and on-premises production solutions. The challenges are to remote-enable current workflows while developing future products that are IT and cloud-native.
Where do you see the most opportune areas for innovation in your area of the market, and what tech/solutions will drive that development?
Broadcasters and media companies are looking to Matrox Video to provide the future of remote, distributed, and scalable workflows. The innovation is in creating “made for broadcast” IT-based solutions using general-purpose computing, on-prem, in the cloud, or both.
What are you working on currently that excites you as a product team, and what can we expect to see at IBC 2023?
The Matrox Video product team is informed and inspired by our customers. We are working on making standard-based IP video production a reality for live production, remote production and contribution, and broadcast-like event production. At IBC 2023 Matrox Video will show the future of real-time live production based on our new software development platform, Matrox ORIGIN, as well as the latest advancements for working with ST 2110 and IP video in baseband environments and encoding and streaming.
