SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2023: Tuesday’s Latest From Vegas
The NAB Show is in full swing, and the SVG and SVG Europe editorial teams are chasing down the hottest stories from all over the Las Vegas Convention Center. To make the flood of announcements easily digestible for our readers, SVG is sending you a daily roundup in SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2023, with all the top stories gathered in one easy-to-read blog.
Today’s edition features Adder Technology, Advanced Image Robotics, Arista, Arkona Technologies, ATEME, Audinate, Audio-Technica, Backlight, Belden, Brainstorm, Brightcove, Cartoni, Cobalt, Cyanview, Dalet, Dolby, Evertz, IPV, Joseph Electronics, JVC, Lawo, Manifold Technologies, Mo-Sys, Nemal Electronics, Newsbridge, Open Broadcast Systems, Q5X, Riedel, Rohde & Schwarz, RTS, Sony, ST Engineering iDirect, TATA Communications, Telemetrics, Telestream, Telos Alliance, TVU Networks, Veritone, Vislink, and Waves.
NORTH HALL
Despite the move to IP, there is still a place for SDI within live sports broadcasting, as Evertz (Booth N2225) is demonstrating at NAB 2023. The company is touting 12G-SDI updates that are for sports venues and local sports broadcasters who, for cost reasons, aren’t yet ready to move to IP but want to upgrade their SDI capabilities. This includes new features for its 12G-SDI NEXX processing router, such as output frame synchronization, timecode, and mixed-reference support. The addition of the new NEXX-670 FPGA-based module expands the processing capabilities of the NEXX platform and allows broadcasters to transition to IP when they are ready.
Brainstorm’s booth features Virtual Production Theatre to demonstrate virtual-set and real-time 3D-graphics capabilities.
Brainstorm (Booth N2639), a provider of virtual-set and real-time 3D-graphics solutions, is showcasing its flagship InfinitySet, which enables users to create photorealistic augmented- and mixed-reality content. The demonstration at the company’s Virtual Production Theatre features a combination of chroma sets and shaped LED videowalls, along with real-time, seamless extra-render and set extensions with color-matching 3D LUTs, in-context AR motion graphics, fully immersive talent teletransport, multi-background content, and more. Receiving its U.S. debut, the company’s Edison Ecosystem transforms any live or online presentation into an immersive experience using AR and virtual environments.
Cloud MAM vendor IPV (Booth N1727) will lead a discussion on cloud deployment and how cloud media management promises faster production, lower costs, and efficient remote workflows on Tuesday. Moderating the discussion will be VP, Customer Success, Nigel Booth, who with Hearst Television VP, Broadcast Technology, Joe Addalia will discuss Hearst’s journey to cloud media management and the benefits of a private cloud vs. multi-tenant during the “Video Asset Management, The HEARST Television Journey to a Castle in the Cloud” discussion in the Create Inspiration Theater at 11.20 a.m.
Open Broadcast Systems (Booth N2862) is demonstrating new features to enable cloud workflows, including interlaced-to-progressive conversion and the CDI (Cloud Digital Interface) protocol. These features enable an easy on-ramp to the cloud, as well as allowing broadcast-standard encoding and decoding to and from cloud applications that may be more web-focused. Company founder and Chief Executive Kieran Kunhya described its encoders and decoders as “key pieces of the puzzle in moving live content to and from the cloud.”
Rohde & Schwarz’s Martin Holmes
Rohde & Schwarz (Booth N1949) is off to a busy start at NAB 2023, with its main focus on providing productivity and reliability to customers. Intended to integrate power and agility in video workflows, the R&S SpycerNode2 is joining the company’s lineup of storage platforms. Similar to its predecessor, the R&S SpycerNode, this new product retains the 5RU storage appliance while also adding two 1RU RAID control servers. This feature boosts RAID and delivery performance by as much as 50% in 4K applications. In tradition to what Rohde & Schwarz has always supplied to the sports-video-production market, the latest THU9evo transmitter addresses the need for sustainable broadcasting. In an industry that is slowly shifting toward cloud-based workflows, the company is spotlighting the need to offer this flavor of solutions. “We’re highlighting [the industry’s] ongoing transition from hardware to software,” said Martin Holmes, senior business development manager, North America. “We’re starting to understand what we have to do to break out this software and incorporate them into other tools.”
CENTRAL HALL
Sony’s Andy Raynor
Sony (Booth C8101) is highlighting the NXL-ME80, an ultra-low-latency HEVC product for low-bitrate remote production. Said Andy Raynor, chief technologist for Nevion, “Remote has been the reserve of relatively high-bandwidth connectivity, which is always a prerequisite. But, with the ME80, you can do remote production with relatively low-bandwidth connectivity, making the cost of remote production viable for the next sports tier down.
Cyanview (Booth C6635) CEO and founder, David Bourgeois, is talking about camera shading, “If you’re looking to integrate large-sensor, shallow–depth-of-field cameras into your live sports productions, we have everything you need here.”
Joseph Electronics (Booth C1713) is showing a number of new products, including the Ereca STAGE RACER 2 optical-fiber transmission solution. According to Southeast Sales Engineer Bo Reames, it operates in a decentralized network topology, and up to 24 units can be strung together, and any signal can be sent from one unit to another. “It’s super powerful,” he said, “and people are finding out what they can do and are falling in love with them.”
Arista (Booth C1708) Technical Lead Albert Faust said, “We’re here to support the industry; we provide the backbone. Here at NAB we’re talking about the continued growth of our media-control surface (MCS), which is the fastest SDN on the market. For sports broadcasters, it gives them guaranteed service on their network. We’re known for our reliability, and we’re growing the visibility of what we do so people know exactly what’s going on with understandable telemetry.”
Cobalt’s Suzana Brady
Cobalt (Booth C2108) is introducing its Sapphire BBG-2110 converter, a standalone ST 2110/JPEG-XS to HDMI BBGs for behind-the-monitor mounting. SVP, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Suzana Brady said, “This is really good for low-latency, high-quality remote-production contribution, using a fraction of the bitrate. It’s a mini convertor, very small, rugged, and reliable, with direct HDMI outputs.” Single-, dual-, and quad-channel versions are available.
Belden (Booth C3541) is exhibiting its DCX system, which optimizes the ROI of fiber infrastructures, reducing capital and operating expenses to offer lower total cost of ownership. Christine Williamson, global account director, sports and entertainment venues, said, “Belden is excited to showcase our DCX System at NAB 2023. This is a high-density fiber optical distribution frame that is installed in some of the most advanced-technology stadiums in the world. With 3,840 termination points per cabinet, Belden offers the highest density available in the marketplace. From DAS networks that keep the fans connected and friction-free to a full-IP production-control room, the DCX system supports the infrastructure backbone that brings sports- and entertainment-smart districts to life!”
Arkona Technologies’ Erling Hedkvist
Arkona Technologies (Booth C4345) is talking about its spinoff, Manifold Technologies, which has launched a new cloud product here at the show. Manifold provides IP core-infrastructure solutions for top-tier broadcast productions. Its first-ever Tier 1 live-production core-infrastructure service-based ecosystem is built on private-cloud COTS infrastructure. The core architectural concept of Manifold Cloud is an on-demand configurable pool of shared resources allocated within a private-cloud environment. It is a 100%-software solution running on COTS FPGA programmable accelerator cards (PAC). Said Erling Hedkvist, head of sales and business development, “What used to take eight rack units we can now do in one. Plus using COTS FPGA cards uses 90% less energy, so we’ve got a great sustainability angle on this as well.”
The Mo-Sys booth (C3325) features the all-new StarTracker Max optical camera-tracking system in conjunction with the Mo-Sys VP Pro XR. According to Marketing Director Stephen Gallagher, a demonstration of a Mo-Rail system at the LG booth (C6025) is also worth a visit: “It’s a curved rail for sports studios and allows a nice, controlled movement of a PTZ- or ENG-camera package that weighs less than 15 kg. It can orbit the presenter, with or without tracking graphics. We’ve had pan-and-tilt forever, but that isn’t a very creative shot, and now you can have creative movement and also adjust the height for a standing or sitting presenter.”
Canada’s Q5X (Booth C4819) has been like the traditional magician, continuously pulling rabbits out of the same hat, although the bunnies are a bit different every time. This year, a new version of the Incognito transmitter — whose separate plug-in for 4-, 8-, or 16-hour batteries allows it to be hidden in swim tops — appeared ready to become available later this year for use on water sports and gymnastics. A pair of Shure Axient Digital transmitters, part of an existing alliance between the companies, are attached to the underside of the bill of a baseball-type cap, which would, as President Paul Johnson put it, “produce an instantly miked-up ball player — just pop on the cap.” The real capper, though, might be the so-called Toss Mic, a palm-sized plastic cube walled with sonically permeable foam surrounding an omni microphone capsule, transmitter, and battery. As its name suggests, the mic can be simply tossed into a situation, such as a golf green (where it’s currently being tested), making that area instantly wired for sound. Look for it being tossed in your direction sometime later this year.
RTS DSPK-4 Digital Speaker Station
RTS (Booth C3811) introduced its DSPK-4 Digital Speaker Station, part of the RTS Digital Partyline intercom system. The IP-based wired speaker station, with four channels of talk/listen via microphone and speaker or headset is available in desktop, flush-mount, and wall-mount versions, each with a variety of power options and headset connectors. Users can operate DSPK-4 in partyline mode with OMS (OMNEO Main Station) or in portable keypanel mode with an RTS matrix (ODIN/ADAM). A compact and ergonomic design uses full-color icon-based menu navigation for quick setup and intuitive operation. Flexibility is further enhanced with Bluetooth headset and PoE (Power over Ethernet) connectivity. “This makes the DSPK-4 ideal for new users or current partyline users looking to grow from analog systems into the superior sound quality and flexible connectivity of digital/IP communications,” said SVP Ramesh Jayaraman, who joined parent company Bosch two years ago to do a “complete strategic look” at RTS’s comms and other product lines. He added that “progress has been phenomenal,” citing synergy with Bosch’s eight other business units. “We’re going to bring that into this space.”
JVC (Booth C4218) is showing off improvements to its GY-HC500 sports camera as well as a hardware-control system that has vMix software built in. “The GY-HC500 has NDI HX and, in the sports-graphics area, now has ‘Ball On’ and play clock directly from the scoreboard system, using a Genius Sports decoder,” said National Sales Manager, Sports, Dan Skirpan. “We’re also selling a hardware box, the RM-LP350G Connected Cam that has vMix software on it and supports all of our new PTZ cameras that have NDI built into them. When you turn on vMix, you just hit ‘add inputs,’ and the cameras are there, and you also don’t need extra equipment for camera tally. The workflow is very simple, but you can have a very high-quality production.”
Audio-Technica’s (Booth C4931) BP3600 8-channel immersive microphone, introduced last year and making its NAB Show debut, shows how sound capture can push the envelope. The microphone has eight compact capsule assemblies integrated into the body while remaining compact and lightweight enough for single-operator usability and easy setup. Direct routing is also possible, without need for additional decoding or latency processing for 5.1.4-channel speaker layouts. The BP3600’s eight microphone modules extend from the body to form a cube with 5.9 in. between microphone assemblies. Each assembly in the eight-channel near-coincident array is equipped with a half-inch hypercardioid capsule to produce discrete signals. The company is also featuring four recently introduced bundles suitable for podcasters, live-streamers, and other content creators; all include ATH-M20x headphones. The headphones, noted Marketing Director Gary Boss, represent a new category: headphones adapted for streaming, with the M20 series condenser mic capsule (on a shock-mounted, movable boom) bringing studio quality to the sound, in the process providing a voice lift from within ambient noise. “As sports moves further into streaming,” he said, “that kind of headset is going to find a niche.”
Waves Cloud MX audio mixer
Waves’ presence at the Audinate booth (C5735) underscores both the Israeli digital-audio–processing company’s ubiquity and the fact that broadcast audio technology is increasingly interrelated, transcending limited categories and brands. At NAB 2023, Waves — whose processing is already native to mixers like DiGiCo and SSL — is showing its Cloud MX audio mixer, a rare piece of hardware from the plug-in maker. It’s fully compatible with Audinate’s Dante Connect cloud-based solution, which allows production to deploy Dante connectivity on cloud-based environments and also incorporates Dan Dugan Sound Design’s auto-mixer software. Cloud MX is a scalable, broadcast-ready cloud workflow whose broad range of audio-processing plug-ins enables broadcast engineers to integrate studio-quality audio processing directly in cloud production workflows. The cloud-based solution allows up to 256 channels of audio to be captured at remote locations and mixed, processed, and delivered from anywhere in the world. In fact, the Cloud MX came about in part because of interaction at one of the SVG-sponsored DTV Audio Group meetings, where, said Waves Live Division GM Noam Raz, company execs saw validation for its applications in broadcast sports. Incorporation of plug-ins including Waves Noise Suppression (WMS) and Waves Loudness Meter (WLM) made it “a great fit” for sports on television, he said.
Nemal Electronics (Booth C4822) now has a new tactical SMPTE fiber cable that is super robust and can literally be tied in knots or yanked without failing, according to founder Ben Nemser. “We put a jacket around the normal coating that has a Kevlar filling, which gives it a huge amount of extra strength and an outer layer,” he explained. “On a per-foot basis, it’s about 30¢ more [than regular fiber cable].” Also highlighted are the Bluebell ST 2110 SDR encapsulators and decapsulators — one with 12 Gig and two over 25-Gig SFPs and a 3G version that has up to four SFPs. Also on display is an SFP converter that can do SDI to HDMI as well as single-mode to multi-mode and it can convert wavelengths.
Lawo mc²36 xp audio-production console
The Lawo (Booth C4111) mc²36 xp desk is a recent addition to Lawo’s top-of-the-line audio-production-console range. CMO Andreas Hilmer explained that “the xp stands for external processing.” Physically identical to the mc²36 MkII but without on-board processing, the mc²36 xp supports up to 256 DSP channels and offers IP network and processing redundancy, as well as eligibility for a multi-slice console array based on a single A__UHD Core processing unit. Reflecting a trend toward multi-use capability from single platforms, the desk can also be segmented for simultaneous use by up to eight discrete productions, each having up to 128 DSP channels, according to Hilmer: “In combination with the Pooling 8 license, the xp console can share the DSP power of one A__UHD Core with up to seven other virtual or physical console surfaces for cost-effective premium audio processing.”
Cartoni (Booth C6720) is showcasing its Lifto 25 motorized support for PTZ cameras, which features a unique elevation unit. “It can raise and lower and is very simple to set up in the field,” said VP, Sales and Marketing, Steve Manios Jr. “You can also run and gun with it. It can be used to raise and lower a teleprompter.” Lifto 25 joins some other popular products, such as the Master 65 tripod for larger-lens camera packages or the Focus 2,2 which is for camera packages up to 50 lb.
It has been six months since Riedel (Booth C4910) acquired Simply Live, and the Riedel booth brings the two brands together for the first time. Harry Kapros, business director, EMEA, Live Production, Riedel, cited the combination of the two technologies as a means to do everything from on-premises production to remote production to cloud production: “Depending on the customer needs, we can put all the pieces together and propose the best kind of solution.”
WEST HALL
Dolby (Booth W2577) is featuring a comparison between HDR 10 and Dolby Vision on low-end TVs, showcasing the consistency of Dolby Vision. The company is also talking about live-production tools for mapping and mixing.
At Veritone (Booth W1410), Billy Gil, product marketing manager, commercial, is focusing on the company’s Generative AI product. “We’re working with Generative AI for integration into workflows and solutions with our customers, so we can integrate large language models into people’s workflows, to help people scale their content creation. It unlocks a world of possibilities for sports organizations. We’ve had a lot of interest in it. People are turning it over and looking at how they can use it. We take a consultative approach with clients so we can find out how it can benefit them.” Veritone Generative AI launched in February.
Backlight (Booth W3157) is showcasing the latest updates and integrations across its Creative product lines, including ftrack, iconik, Celtx, and Gem. Ftrack’s solutions for production tracking and collaboration will address more use cases and customer workflows with new feature enhancements, including file-transfer options. The Q2 release of cloud-native media-asset-management and collaboration platform iconik will provide increased platform flexibility, usability and format support. Meanwhile, search and media review — two core activities that customers perform with iconik — have been elevated with image and video previews in their results, more metadata, and more customization options for how search results are displayed.
Sports clubs, leagues, and broadcasters are promised the utopia of “no more manual logging” by Newsbridge (Booth W2073). The company is making this bold claim because of its confidence in MXT1, an indexing technology that uses natural-language models and multimodal AI to generate human-like descriptions of video content, photos, and audio files. Currently being tested by an NFL team, MXT1 can scan 500 hours of video per minute. According to co-founder/CEO Philippe Petitpont, the “game-changing” development delivers indexing at scale but also in an affordable way, making it accessible for Tier 2 or Tier 3 and college sports. A sports customer in the Middle East, he says, is getting better-quality indexing results from the MXT1 than with human loggers. MXT-1 is currently available in beta mode. It will be progressively rolled out to all Newsbridge cloud solutions, including Just Index, Media Hub, Media Marketplace, and Live Asset Manager.
Vislink (Booth W1731) is showing its ultra-compact Cliq OFDM mobile transmitter for the first time at a U.S.-based show. Ideal for fast-moving sports, such as motor or horse racing, the device can transmit either full 4K or two HD video signals and provides sports broadcasters with an uncontended wireless video-network connection. Chief Product Officer Michel Bais offered two examples of possible uses: tunnel cameras inside sports stadia and POV cameras. It could even be used inside baseball bats, he added. It ships in Q3 of this year.
With the acquisition of The Switch still to be completed, TATA Communications (Booth W2429) is focusing on its service offerings — particularly its Media Edge contribution and distribution platform, which gives broadcasters the chance to create and launch complex cloud-based workflows “in a matter of weeks.” 30 locations across the U.S., Asia, and Western Europe are part of Media Edge, which is already being used by Formula E as part of its remote live broadcast production of races. TATA is the Official Broadcast Distribution Provider to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
Brightcove (Booth W1921) is promoting a new partnership: the streaming-technology company has teamed up with Frequency, a cloud-based video platform, to allow customers to create, launch, and manage free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels. The partnership sees linear channels distributed to FAST aggregators, MVPD and vMVPD, and distribution channels globally. The integration is available within the Brightcove Marketplace. The company is also talking about its ad-monetization services and its end-to-end QoS and QoE insights products.
ATEME is offering a Virtual Lounge as part of its focus on fan engagement.
Fan engagement and fan experiences are a major focus for ATEME (Booth W1517) at NAB 2023. For the latter, the French company is partnering with Six Floor Solutions and Pushologies to deliver an automated end-to-end solution that enables sports-content rightsholders and streamers to send sports fans alerts via a mobile app that then directs them to video clips and e-commerce offerings. Features include AI detection of content, creation of event triggers, content clipping, content assembly, and content delivery. For fan engagement, the company is showcasing its Virtual Lounge, which converges traditional television and gaming and enables viewers to project their avatars in a shared viewing experience akin to a sports bar. Within the virtual-reality environment, the same live sports production can be viewed from different angles, all in sync. ATEME is seeking proof-of-concept partners for the Virtual Lounge and also for an augmented-reality application using connected glasses.
Visitors who want a robotic camera trolley without the mess of cabling on the studio floor will want to visit Telemetrics (Booth C4425) and check out the TG-5 TeleGlide robotic camera trolley. Colin Clarke, UK and EMEA regional sales, said that customers like YLE in Finland have installed the system, which has robotic tracks below the floor, and all connections and cabling are also beneath the floor. “It makes life a lot easier and is a very nice and neat solution that has a weight load and speed capability that we think makes it a superior product to others in the market,” he said. “It also includes LIDAR sensors to avoid colliding with people in the studio.”
TVU Networks (Booth W1821) is back on the show floor with a renewed emphasis on supporting clients with whatever needs they have. Through its well-known DevOps Process, working relationships can become strengthened with immediate implementation of customer feedback into product design. On the product end of the spectrum, TVU is expanding its Remote Production System (RPS) lineup with the addition of TVU RPS One. Intended to assist customers’ needs in the ever-changing landscape of remote production, this product is an all-in-one hybrid cloud and studio solution combining RPS’s field-tested synchronized multicamera encoding and transmission functionality in an ultra-compact and rugged form factor with six integrated 5G modems for wireless transmission.
Adder Techology’s Vic Jimenez
Adder Technology (Booth W2120) is showcasing the latest in KVM solutions. Building on the existing AdderLink INFINITY series, which are common features in professional sports venues around the U.S., the team is enhancing this product link with enhanced virtual-machine support. Among new products, the company has launched its multiviewing solution: the AdderView CCS-MV 4224, which enables users to see up to four displays on a single monitor. On the business side, Adder Technology is remaining busy within in-venue control rooms with recent installations at the MLB’s Philadelphia Phillies’ Citizens Bank Park and Pittsburgh Pirates’ PNC Park and the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals’ State Farm Stadium. Philosophically, as venue construction and the size of live productions increase in scale, it’s important that the company addresses those needs. “These [teams or venues] need to be flexible, especially when they’re undergoing new builds, because things always change on the fly,” says East Region Sales Manager Vic Jimenez. “With an IP-based system, these crews are able to add or swap out elements whenever they need to.”
Advanced Image Robotics’ Kevin McClave
Advanced Image Robotics (Booth W3421G) is touting its new cloud-based, remote-production, and robotics solutions. From a control-room perspective, the company is showcasing its AIRcloud production solution, which allows users to easily drag and drop cameras and crew into their desired positions on the playing field from anywhere in the world. This ecosystem is being paired with the company’s AIR One robotic camera, which features full PTZ control, interchangeable lenses, 4-Gb onboard CPU for smooth movement- and motion-data capture, and more. Showcasing these services in a real-world setting, Advanced Image Robotics and AWS have set up a soccer activation in the West Hall main atrium, where images of visitors kicking a ball into a goal are captured via the AIR One and transmitted to the AIRcloud software being controlled at the company’s booth. Looking ahead, the company is working toward automated production with AI-powered player- and ball-tracking for low-tier and cost-conscious productions. As the industry continues to fully embrace cloud-based software, Advanced Image Robotics will be there every step of the way. “The problem with remote production right now is that everyone is using equipment that’s 20 years old, so I need to be not only an expert in cameras but also an expert in IT,” says CEO Kevin McClave. “We built [our solutions] to be cloud-native from the ground up, so we can take care of [all the backend troubleshooting] for them.”
Telos Alliance (Booth W3766) has taken some come bold steps into virtual land with its new Axia Altus software-based audio-mixing console that can be controlled by any device with a web browser. It allows broadcasters to control a mix while simultaneously monitoring audio and contributing content from any browser anywhere, eliminating the need for a physical worksurface and enabling a studio to be deployed anywhere. At the same booth, visitors can also check out comms virtualization via the Telos Infinity Virtual Intercom Platform (VIP) full-featured cloud-based intercom system, which makes cloud-based media-production workflows available on any device — smartphone, laptop, desktop, tablet — through an HTML5 browser or an Android or iOS app. Users can use third-party control devices, like Elgato’s Stream Deck, to control Telos Infinity VIP. “The sports broadcasters we talk to all see the cloud as their future; what’s changing are their expectations,” said Managing Director Martin Dyster. “When we began virtualization of comms and consoles in 2020, people were just happy to have anything virtual; expectations were lower. Now the technology has moved on, and [users] have the same expectations they had form-wired products. Fortunately, we built our virtual products on our hardware products — for instance, using keypanels for control. That was an advantage.”
Dalet’s Aaron Kroger (left) and Robin Kirchhoffer
Dalet (Booth W1935) has unveiled a cloud-native, lightning-fast multimedia and multiplatform editor. Dubbed Dalet Cut, it is available now for Dalet Pyramid news customers and this summer for Dalet Flex media–workflow customers. According to Chief Marketing Officer Robin Kirchhoffer, Dalet Cut allows live web-based editing from anywhere with native access to all assets — clips, sequences, projects, graphics — even on limited bandwidth. In addition, Dalet has launched the FlexMOBILE app as part of several enhancements to Dalet Flex. Aaron Kroger, product marketing manager, media workflows, said the cloud-native solution can be used to manage and monetize rich, multimedia content libraries; streamline production workflows; and facilitate media-supply-chain packaging and distribution across traditional, digital, and social platforms.
ST Engineering iDirect (Booth W3113) is demonstrating the new SKYflow native IP-over-satellite ecosystem as part of its effort to expand its role in the market. The SKYflow ecosystem comprises origination, transport, reception, and consumption of live and on-demand video. According to Alex Beach, head of media and broadcast market development, scaling a live video or on-demand service to a large audience is a lot easier over satellite thanks to its ability to multicast. SKYflow also offers support for SVOD models, which is enabled through smart prepositioning of content at the network edge. Ecosystem partners ST Engineering iDirect, EKT, EasyBroadcast, Quadrille, and Broadpeak are onsite to discuss SKYflow. In addition to SKYflow, the company is showcasing the MCX8000 multi-carrier satellite gateway for the first time in North America.
Telestream’s Greggory Heil (left) and Ali Hodjat
No company has been busier on the acquisitions front over the past few years than Telestream (Booth W1501), adding 10 companies since 2015. The fruits of those labors are being shown at the company’s booth in Vegas, especially as it relates to last year’s acquisition of Encoding.com. According to Greggory Heil, SVP, Telestream Cloud (and founder/CEO of Encoding.com), Telestream is leveraging Encoding.com’s file-based cloud transcoder/packager as part of its Cloud Native media-processing platform to serve both the broadcast and OTT industries in a more holistic manner. Cloud Native also features Qualify, the first truly cloud-native QC service. Telestream is also demonstrating its iQ architecture, which enables cloud-native video-quality monitoring for emerging workflows migrating to the cloud. Beyond the cloud, the company has introduced Telestream Content Manager, which is built on DIVA Core technology (acquired in 2020) and provides a single point of access for content across an organization’s entire storage ecosystem, including cloud and on-premises storage. Also new is PRISM MPP, a multiformat rasterizer purpose-built for postproduction, and a software-only version of its Lightspeed Live Capture solution. VP, Portfolio Marketing, Ali Hodjat said that these releases reflect how Telestream’s recent acquisitions are enhancing and expanding the company’s product portfolio.