Investing In A Cloud-Based Future

NAB and IBC in recent years have become increasingly dominated by the promise and prospects of IP-based systems made up of internet-linked elements which, in theory at least, can be located anywhere in the world, writes Tim Felstead of ATG Danmon.

From production switchers to routers, script libraries, clip servers, post-production, programme archives, playout scheduling, quality monitoring and a whole lot more, many aspects of a modern broadcast operation could in theory be conducted in 'the cloud'. But it is important to retain a balance. A lot of front-end infrastructure such as production studios, lighting, cameras and microphones still need to be physical rather than virtual.

Our job as broadcast system integrators is to stay ahead of the game, even if the playing-field is shaking from the IP volcano threatening to erupt. Cloud-based broadcasting may still look to some industry observers like smoke-and-mirrors for an industry that prides itself on real-time reliability and secure direct-to-home transmission paths. To others, the cloud opens up opportunities for outsourcing services away from traditional high-cost city centre facilities and to replacing real with virtual hardware.

Goldmine or swamp?
At ATG Danmon, we are frequently called on to navigate clients through the technical and business issues facing customers who want to prepare for what they see as a cloud-based future. To some people this looks like a goldmine; to others an alligator swamp. It is actually a mixture of both, so there is much to be gained from hiring an experienced guide. This short article may help indicate some of the waypoints.

IT, IP and the cloud
Of far greater relevance than the cloud to system designers in recent years has been the shift away from dedicated hardware to software running on a generic computer platforms. IP connectivity is obviously integral to practically every modern computer-based device. In a broadcast systems context, this means carrying control data over dedicated cables or fibre within a broadcast or supporting-service organisation, or via a internet link – the 'cloud', if you prefer to call it that – half way round the world. Given the massive and ongoing global investment in high speed telco infrastructure, IP paths are increasingly being used to deliver audio and video content from production studios to post-production sites or playout centres, where formerly these would have been despatched by courier. It saves time and, once the links are in place, saves money. This is where 'the cloud' really becomes relevant. The challenge is to achieve the cost benefits of using internet infrastructure while ensuring vital content arrives at its destination quickly and securely. A central element of our role as systems integrators is to ensure that any workflow that embraces the cloud delivers the absolute reliability broadcasters demand.

Whatever technical solution is used to interconnect a modern, IT-based broadcast system, the skill to make it work centres on ensuring that the PC or blade is fast enough to do the job and reliable enough to allow 24/7 operation. Very careful attention is also required to the software interfaces, APIs, SOAP and REST calls which tie the various elements of the system together.

Most software providers have the good sense to specify, or at very least recommend, which generation or type of nominally generic platform their products can safely run on. Every computer user knows the risks inherent in using a low-cost low-spec platform when installing latest-generation software. That is another issue for the SI, who has to ensure that products from multiple vendors, whether software of hardware, are reliable in themselves and as elements of an integrated system.

Software, like hardware, normally comes in self-contained modules with quite firm lines of demarcation. The actual structure of the system will depend on the customer's preferred workflow. What makes the difference is creating a system which is practical and easy to use, whether broadcasting live or to a predefined schedule with the option of hands-on control in the event of late-breaking news.

SI beyond SDI
SDI is the bedrock on which practically all modern broadcast systems are built, formalised 15 years ago by the SMPTE. I was recently invited to make a presentation on systems integration to a group of broadcasters and threw in the question: "When do you think SDI in its various manifestations will become obsolete?" The audience's general assumption was that SD-SDI, HD-SDI and 3G-SGI still had between five and 10 years of useful life. Beyond that, they saw IP-based interfacing taking over. One perceived advantage of IP is that it potentially makes routing simpler and more cost-efficient as it no longer requires broadcast-specific switching matrices. While some people in the industry view IP as a potential successor to SDI in broadcast systems design, my own opinion is that the two will co-exist for many years before IP eventually becomes the industry standard in multi-camera production facilities where real-time synchronous signals are required. In playout, we are already seeing facilities without a single BNC.

Latency
IP-based data communication is already playing a healthy role in media data distribution, primarily for moving files between one location and another within a production studio or post-production facility. Data transfer speeds are potentially very fast if the IP pipeline allows it, but latency can obviously be an issue when sending larger audio/video files, or streaming live high-definition video, over long distances. The workaround is to lease high grade IP data-links where these are available. Providing such links is an industry in itself but it is also an cost overhead.

Keeping it live
What defines a 'broadcaster' in my opinion is the ability to broadcast live in response to major news stories or big sports events such as the Olympics. This forms a key element of discussions regarding workflow that we hold with clients prior to the start of any new system design. Live broadcasting requires very low latency throughout the production chain. Even then, the system integrator has to make due allowance for the processing time required by anything significantly more ambitious than a distribution amplifier. That means careful attention to synchronisation.

Retina quality broadcasting
Technical progress both in cameras and displays in recent years has been phenomenal and shows little sign of stopping. It has been driven in part by smartphone and tablet-computer manufacturers, who were the first to introduce 'retina quality' displays into consumer products. Watching an HD source on a small tablet display is for all practical purposes retina quality: no pixels, no grain; just a perfect picture.

The upward trend to 4K, 8K and probably beyond is not just about bigger screens. It is about extending retina quality to large displays for closeup viewing. Broadcasters have the advantage of secure pipes, though these are obviously bandwidth-limited compared with the 20 megabits per second potential of IP streaming or file delivery. This is where the cloud may really come into its own, delivering UHD programmes to the home either as on-demand downloads or for real-time viewing.

The article is also available to read in BFV online.

(IT/JP)