NAB 2017: Harmonic To Highlight Software-Based OTT, Cloud Solutions in Vegas
At the 2017 NAB Show, Harmonic (SU1210) will showcase its vision for the future of media processing, including its software-based solutions that support today’s and tomorrow’s video workflows. A key highlight will be Harmonic’s OTT and cloud-based solutions which enable operators to launch broadcast, live and on-demand OTT video quickly with amazing video quality at low cost, while improving operational orchestration, elasticity and agility.
“With ATSC 3.0 on the horizon and an explosion in OTT offerings, today’s broadcasters and service providers need to work faster and smarter as they address growing consumer demand for crystal-clear video and a wider range of content across all screens, including personalized, live and on-demand,” says Bart Spriester, SVP, video products at Harmonic. “As a leading provider of cloud-native solutions and the industry leader in video compression, Harmonic is looking forward to bringing the latest media processing innovations in these technologies, along with real-world success stories from leading broadcasters and service providers, to the 2017 NAB Show.”
Harmonic EyeQ Real-Time Video Compression Optimization Solution
Improving OTT Quality of Experience
OTT innovation is a key area of focus for Harmonic at the 2017 NAB Show and beyond. Harmonic’s EyeQ video compression optimization solution delivers superior video quality and bandwidth reduction of up to 50 percent for OTT distribution, dramatically improving quality-of-experience (QoE) for OTT services through the use of comprehensive analytics. As an optional enhancement for Harmonic’s widely deployed software-based Harmonic PURE Compression Engine, the EyeQ solution enables a more consistent viewing experience with enhanced video quality and less buffering. Harmonic will also showcase new low-latency capabilities that allow OTT viewers to enjoy the same QoE as with traditional broadcast.
Harmonic VOS Cloud Media Processing Platform and Harmonic VOS 360 Professional Cloud Media Processing Service
Transitioning Broadcasters and OTT Video Providers to the Cloud
Harmonic is targeting the transition to the cloud for media processing via its award-winning VOS Cloud software and VOS 360 software-as-a-service (SaaS) solutions. New workflow capabilities will be introduced at NAB, including cloud-native playout.
Industry-Leading Video Compression for Channel Sharing and ATSC 3.0
North American broadcasters are facing disruption on two fronts: the spectrum repack and the transition to ATSC 3.0. Harmonic’s Electra X media encoding and new ProStream X stream processing solutions uniquely address both challenges. At NAB, Harmonic will demonstrate how broadcasters can compress their existing ATSC 1.0 channels with greater efficiency, as well as transition to ATSC 3.0 advanced services via a simple software license.
Leading the Industry Toward an All-IP Broadcast Workflow
Harmonic is easing the transition to an all-IP infrastructure through its involvement in AIMS and a software-based approach to video production and delivery. Select AIMS members will join Harmonic in its booth to showcase an end-to-end SMPTE ST 2022-6 workflow for IP playout and delivery, including live switching, graphics and effects, as well as broadcast and OTT encoding.
Enabling Crystal-Clear UHD-HDR and Amazing VR Viewing Experiences
Harmonic is helping operators deliver high-quality UHD HDR video for both live and on-demand applications via its end-to-end UHD-HDR OTT workflow solutions. The company will also highlight UHD editing with its MediaGrid storage system and new UHD-HEVC contribution encoder. Additionally, as operators look to deliver a more immersive viewing experience, Harmonic and ecosystem partners will showcase a cutting-edge 360-degree virtual reality (VR) viewing experience featuring 8K production and world-class HEVC tiling technology to deliver the highest quality native-UHD video to consumer head-mounted displays.
In Other NAB News: Harmonic Experts to Present on Emerging Technologies at BEITC
In addition to these demonstrations, experts from Harmonic are scheduled to speak during the NAB Show Conference program – including theBroadcast Engineering and Information Technology Conference (BEITC) – on a host of industry topics, including the transition to IP, streaming UHD VR video, next-generation compression techniques, OTT distribution and cybersecurity.
The Move to IP: As broadcasters, service providers and media companies transition to all-IP workflows for increased efficiency and monetization opportunities, Harmonic presents a clear migration path. Andy Warman, director, production and playout strategy and market development at Harmonic, will outline the recent developments for IP, presenting on the “Status of IP Interoperability in the Broadcast Industry” on Saturday, April 22 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. in room N258 at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) and during “Long Live IP -Implementing Practical IP Playout Systems” on Tuesday, April 25 from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m. in room N258 at the LVCC.
Advanced Compression and Next-Gen TV: Virtual Reality (VR), UHD, HDR and advanced compression techniques are increasingly playing an important role in shaping business strategies for broadcasters and service providers. Raoul Monnier, technology innovation program manager at Harmonic and Rob Koenen, CBDO of TiledMedia will discuss the state-of-the-art in VR streaming and bandwidth reduction during their session “Streaming UHD-Quality VR at Realistic Bitrates: Mission Impossible?” on Monday, April 24 from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. in room N260 at the LVCC.
Next, Thierry Fautier, MPEG Roadmap Chair and vice president of video strategy at Harmonic, will present on “New Compression Techniques for Next-Generation Video” on Monday, April 24 from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. in room N256 at the LVCC. Ian Trow, senior director, emerging technology and strategy at Harmonic, and Cambodge Bist, research engineer at the Institute of Research and Technology, will present on a novel approach to tone expansion during their session titled “SDR to HDR Tone Expansion for Broadcast” on Tuesday, April 25 from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m. in room N260 at the LVCC.
OTT Innovation: Latency is a major issue affecting the quality of experience for live OTT video streaming services, especially for live sporting events. Patrick Gendron, manager, technology and innovation partnerships and standards at Harmonic, will present “Low-Latency OTT Delivery With CMAF Chunks and HTTP/1.1 Chunked Transfer Encoding” on Wednesday, April 26 from 4:00 to 4:30 p.m. in room N256 at the LVCC.
Cybersecurity and Ransomware: And finally, content security is of vital concern to all operators, no matter what the format or mode of distribution. Ian Trow, senior director, emerging technology and strategy at Harmonic, will elaborate on this topic during his session on “Technical Strategies to Deny Hackers/Pirates Access to Video Content and Infrastructure” on Wednesday, April 26 from 12:00 to 12:30 p.m. in room N260 at the LVCC.
In addition, Thierry Fautier will participate in the following panels focusing on next-generation video technologies during the conference:
• An Overview of Today’s Emerging Technologies on Saturday, April 22 from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. in room N260 at the LVCC.
• The MPEG Roadmap to the Immersive Age on Saturday, April 22 from 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in room N260 at the LVCC.
• Ultra HD Forum MasterClass: 2017 – The Year of HDR’s Launch on Saturday, April 22 from 1:15 to 2:45 p.m. in room N260 at the LVCC.
• Huawei Presents: Accelerate UHD Experience Adoption on Wednesday, April 26 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. in room S222-S223 in the LVCC.
Part of the NAB Show’s Technology Series of Programs, the BEITC is designed for broadcast engineers and technicians, media technology managers, contract engineers, broadcast equipment manufacturers, distributors, engineering consultants and R&D engineers.