Remote Operations? Good News From Amulet And root6

Predictably enough, the Cloud was a hot topic at the recent NAB techno-fest in Vegas, say root6...
It’s clearly now a question of 'When,' as the 'How?' and 'Why?' seem well on the way to being sorted. That said, the ability to work remotely with content is very much a current issue and one increasingly addressed by equipment vendors.
In order to deliver the best possible solutions to client requirements, re-seller and Systems Integrator root6 is constantly evaluating new and emerging technologies. Some are much-trumpeted introductions from the major players, others more low key but none the less significant. How would it be, for example, if a remote user could access high resolution content at a central source; not just for editing, but for grading, compositing – anything at all, over the Internet?
Enter Amulet Hotkey, a Devon-based company and specialists in Keyboard/Video/Mouse (KVM) extension. Originally KVM had a number of applications. In the commercial world it enabled control of multiple systems from a single interface and was a hit with the financial trading sector, defence, utilities – all the ‘heavy users.’ In post production it was regularly used to shift the hot and noisy kit out of the edit suite and into the MCR and root6 undertook many installations in that vein including the provision of ‘Soho-style’ suites at MTV in Camden.
Time moves on. The latest generation of KVM extensions from Amulet embrace, a highly innovative protocol licenced by Teradici – PCoIP. Described by root6 Head of Systems Integration Phil Crawley as “One of the most significant technologies we've taken on in recent years,” PCoIP transforms the way remote users interact with content. At the central facility, the PCoIP Host (transmitter) is used to analyse, compress, encrypt and transmit pixel, audio and USB data to the desktop where a PCoIP Zero-client (receiver) decodes the data for the user.
Crawley continues: “Until very recently our habit was to run edit suite (or graphics room etc.) displays over fibre optic cables with DVI-fibre transceivers and USB over cat5. This satisfies the need to remotely locate workstations but means that assigning a workstation to a new room is a manual patch operation. It also adds around £1k to the cost of the room (assuming a dual-headed display). It’s also limited by the lengths that multi-mode fibre will run to (typically less than 600m).
“The challenge of packetising up two 24” DVI monitors’ feeds is daunting – each monitor is using more than 3Gbits/sec (10 bit RGB at 1920x1200 resolution, typ. 60Hz refresh) and so you’d be looking at nearly seven gigabits per sec of bandwidth per room; well outside what you can do down gigabit Ethernet. Additionally, more than about 30mS of delay and people are aware that their mouse isn’t as responsive as it should be.”
Essentially the Amulet system is all about working with high quality content within the constraints imposed by the available bandwidth. Three features are particularly important. The system is not application or version dependant – only pixels are transmitted and consequently bandwidth and latency limitations are overcome. Intelligent image decomposition and analysis enables a range of codecs to be deployed according to the material on screen, whether it be titles, text or moving images etc. Dynamic Network Adaption uses the UPD protocol as employed by IPTV, to maximise available bandwidth still further.
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(IT/CD)