Leveraging GStreamer’s open source framework for seamless video delivery

Leveraging GStreamer’s open source framework for seamless video delivery | Videonet:
Providing the widest range of content, from managed Broadcast/Broadband to web video content, can position pay TV operators in a unique place aggregating mainstream premium content with long tail content on a single device. Rapid integration of new technologies is becoming essential for set top boxes as pay TV operators migrate their software platforms to newer boxes for extra power or additional capabilities. The best way to enable accelerated development and hardware portability is to exploit the dynamic and innovative resources of the open source development community.

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Open Source DPP creation - Open Broadcast Encoder

Open Source DPP creation - Open Broadcast Encoder:
From time to time we work on other things beyond DVB broadcast encoding where Open Source can be used to transform closed broadcast workflows. The file delivery specification from the Digital Production Partnership (DPP) is one such area. However, the AVC-Intra codec used in DPP is effectively a proprietary codec with implementation in the real world being more complex than the SMPTE RP2027 that AS-11 recommends and in a number of areas implemented incorrectly. However, we have now successfully reverse engineered AVC-Intra from available samples which allows a fully open source DPP creation workflow. Along with existing Open Source projects for manipulation and creation of mxf files, a fully compliant DPP file can be delivered to UK broadcasters.

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SES demos first Ultra HD transmission in more efficient HEVC standard

SES demos first Ultra HD transmission in more efficient HEVC standard:
SES recently demonstrated an Ultra HD transmission that uses the up and coming HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding) standard, as opposed to the more established H.264. The 3,840 x 2,160 image was broadcast at a data rate of 20 Mbps, roughly a 50-percent improvement in encoding efficiency over H.264-based MPEG-4.

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AMWA Releases ‘MXF for Production’ Specification | Advanced Media Workflow Association

AMWA Releases ‘MXF for Production’ Specification | Advanced Media Workflow Association:

AMWA Releases ‘MXF for Production’ Specification

AS-10 details an interoperable format for end-to-end workflows based on long GOP MPEG-2 coding.

Atlanta, GA – April 3 2013: The Advanced Media Workflow Association (AMWA) has released Application Specification, AS-10, “MXF for Production”. This specification, built on the Sony XDCAM HD Format (SMPTE RDD-9), allows an end-to-end workflow to use a single file.

Dan Shockley, Chief Video Engineer at CNN, explains the need for the Specification: “While CNN’s news production workflows operate at a very high scale and rate of throughput, the need for efficiency and interoperability is the same as virtually every news production operation. With AS-10, we maintain interoperability between systems with a single file, eliminating the need for transcoding or rewrapping, and ultimately achieving higher levels of speed and quality in our production processes. Less tightly specified MXF implementations provided by vendors to date have not delivered this level of interoperability.”

AS-10 is a MXF file format for typical end to end production workflows including camera acquisition, server acquisition, editing, play-out, digital distribution and archive. AS-10 is compatible with existing MXF based systems & devices that a broadcaster may already have deployed.

Previous specifications had ambiguities that could lead to inconsistent implementations. AS-10 adds details to facilitate the design of interoperable products supporting the codec family.

Shockley, who was the AMWA Product Owner for AS-10 said, “We have added support for recordings that span several files, for example across multiple camera cards. The Specification also details how to access growing files for edit during ingest, both essential features for fast-paced news operations.”

AS-10 does not require Descriptive Metadata. However Descriptive Metadata may be useful as part of a production workflow and is supported by the Specification AS-10 adds support for descriptive metadata, removing the need for XML sidecars to carry metadata.

Shockley added, “In addition to this specification a reference implementation including a validator and golden files is available to AMWA members.”

Brad Gilmer, Executive Director of the AMWA, said, “This Specification, MXF for Production, is another step in our mission to create interoperable media applications that see ‘MXF at Work’.”

MXF and AAF

MXF and AAF | Distribution content from Broadcast Engineering:
Many broadcasters know about MXF, and they have heard of things such as MXF for Finished Programs (AS-03) and MXF for Commercials (AS-12). But, this month, I want to focus on MXF’s bigger brother, AAF.

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Is this the end of broadcasting as we know it?

Is this the end of broadcasting as we know it?:

One phrase you’ll hear a lot wherever the broadcast industry gathers is ‘disruptive technologies’, by which people typically mean that the internet is challenging all the business models and assumptions that have powered the industry for decades. With recent news that BitTorrent is now muscling in on their space, it might have to reach for a new, more apocalyptic description.

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EchoStar HDX-410 set-top box runs native ICS, supports terrestrial broadcasts

EchoStar HDX-410 set-top box runs native ICS, supports terrestrial broadcasts (hands-on video):

You may be familiar with EchoStar's satellite-based (Dish Network) and Sling Media (Slingbox) products, but the company also manufactures set-top boxes for third-party providers, as well as free-to-air services in the UK.

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Harmonic and Nagra Team to Power the World's First Commercial MPEG-DASH OTT Multiscreen Service

Harmonic and Nagra Team to Power the World's First Commercial MPEG-DASH OTT Multiscreen Service:
Deployed Jointly by Abertis Telecom and Nagra, the Live and VOD Multiscreen Cloud Service Leverages Harmonic ProMedia(TM) Suite and Nagra MediaLive Multiscreen.

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TVTechnology: Metadata Is Paramount to Content Files

TVTechnology: Metadata Is Paramount to Content Files:
Metadata has two broad definitions. One is “structured data about data” or as some say—“the bits about the bits.” Another definition is more literal and comes from the Greek meaning of meta—alongside, that is “alongside” that being described.

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Metadata and MXF, part 1

Metadata and MXF, part 1:
This month, we will begin a two-part series on metadata and MXF. First, we will look at the importance of metadata to the professional media facility. Then, we will look at some of the specifics of metadata as applied to file interchange via MXF.

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JPEG 2000, from master to archive

JPEG 2000, from master to archive:
Today's broadcasters are looking for the highest image quality, flexible delivery formats, interoperability and standardized profiles for interactive video transport and workflows. They also have a vested interest in a common high-end format to archive, preserve and monetize the avalanche of video footage generated globally.

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IT acronyms explained

IT acronyms explained:
As broadcast facilities and post-production houses implement new workflow and media management systems, they deal with an array of new IT-based technologies and are inundated with acronyms associated with those technologies.

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Tying it All Together

Tying it All Together:
This article connects the dots among Serial Digital Interface (SDI), image compression, the invention of the Advanced Authoring Format / Material eXchange Format (AAF / MXF) data model, the MXF wrapper format, the subsequent development of AS-02, AS-03 and other MXF application specifications, developments in high-speed networking technology and network security, the SMPTE 2022 Standard for Professional Video over IP transmission, the recent activities of the Hollywood-based ETC’s Interoperable Mastering Format (IMF), which has recently moved into SMPTE, and the Advanced Media Workflow Association / European Broadcasting Union (AMWA / EBU) Task Force on the Framework for Interoperable Media Services (FIMS), concentrating on service-oriented media workflows.

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4K Interoperability Agreement Based on the JPEG 2000 Broadcast Profile:

4K Interoperability Agreement Based on the JPEG 2000 Broadcast Profile::
Following the recent adoption of intoPIX JPEG 2000 compression solution by NTT-AT, intoPIX and NTT-AT signed an agreement on 4K interoperability based on the new JPEG 2000 Broadcast Profile to ease the 4K adoption in the Broadcast & Video Production market. The Broadcast & Video Production markets have always been challenging for new format transmission

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AVC-I

AVC-I:
Broadcast contribution applications like newsgathering, event broadcasting or content exchange currently benefit from the large availability of high-speed networks. These high-bandwidth links open the way to a higher video quality and distinctive operational requirements such as lower end-to-end delays or the ability to store the content for further edition.

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Digital Production Partnership

Digital Production Partnership:
The Digital Production Partnership (DPP) has today unveiled a major industry report, “The Bloodless Revolution: A Guide to Smoother Digital Workflows in Television.”  The report is the first published guidance on digital workflows to be issued on behalf of ITV, Channel Four and the BBC.  It seeks to help producers and suppliers achieve a smoother transition to fully digital production.

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The ITU Sets the Standards for Our 4K & 8K Future

The ITU Sets the Standards for Our 4K & 8K Future:

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU), which sets standards for broadcast around the world, has released their specifications for Ultra HD Television (UHDTV). We have been talking about 4K and 8K cameras for sometime now, but getting the standards down in the broadcast world requires a lot of research. The ITU standards that you all know and use everyday include their Recommendation 709 gamma and color space for HD video. With Ultra HD, they have set the 4K resolution at 3840×2160, which is 2x 1920×1080 in both directions and keeps the same aspect ratio of 16:9.

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NHK makes first successful Super Hi-Vision OTA broadcast, man cave owners giggle with glee - Engadget

NHK makes first successful Super Hi-Vision OTA broadcast, man cave owners giggle with glee - Engadget:
Fresh off from successfully shrinking its Super Hi-Vision camera, Japan's NHK is sticking another feather in its cap -- the first over-the-air broadcast of its super-duper high-resolution technology.

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Telestream Vantage Transcode HE Server Distributes Over-the-Top

Telestream Vantage Transcode HE Server Distributes Over-the-Top: Telestream’s new Vantage Transcode HE Server is specialized to accelerate transcoding and
packaging for multiscreen delivery, including OTT, Web, mobile and IPTV.

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You Can Broadcast Your Google+ Hangouts to Anyone Now [Video]

You Can Broadcast Your Google+ Hangouts to Anyone Now [Video]:

Testing, testing. Is this thing on? Google is launching a feature that lets anyone broadcast Google+ Hangouts live over the Internet. Finally, a social network with some voyeurism!





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