Buyer’s Guide: Video Streaming

DISTRIBUTING VIDEO ACROSS PLATFORMS

In this month’s Buyer’s Guide we examine a number of options for producing web and mobile video, each product designed for capturing, compressing, encoding and distributing video. Whether you’re sharing live events, creating content for mobile users or developing new means of reaching audiences, these tools will expand your delivery options.

STAND UP NY COMEDY CLUB STREAMS WITH TRICASTER MINI

We just built a studio above the Stand Up NY comedy club so we can create our own content and stream a few podcasts. At first it was audio only, but now we’re also filming the podcast and broadcasting it with NewTek’s TriCaster Mini. I love how quick it makes my work. I use multiple cameras and pump out four hours of video content per day.

The number one thing I like about the TriCaster is that if you have the graphics ready to go, you can put them on and edit even while you’re still filming. It’s all in one place, coming out of the TriCaster and ready to go online. There’s great technical support staff if you have questions, but it’s user-friendly enough that you can set it up even without going through all the instructions and start playing around with it to get an idea of how it operates.

As we come up with new ideas for things to shoot, we can throw the TriCaster Mini in a bag and take it anywhere. I might take it to Times Square or a comedian’s apartment. The opportunities are endless. Eventually we’d like to shoot big comedy events from interesting places—grungy parts of Brooklyn, cool music venues. Not the normal places. With TriCaster Mini, we can actually do that without the expense of a huge crew. We can livestream in the moment and really use the product to its best potential.

JONATHAN FATIGATE

Jonathan Fatigate is the creator of Stand Up NY Labs.

WIRECAST AND MUNZING MEDIA STREAM MAINE HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

ROBERT MUNZING

Munzing Media is a home-based business in Gardiner, Maine. In recent years, we have evolved from streaming live high school sports using a rudimentary production setup to creating broadcast-quality multicamera HD webcasts with Telestream Wirecast. We now provide live streams of the hottest local high school games in the state via web sites run by The Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine), Kennebec Journal (Augusta, Maine) and the Morning Sentinel (Waterville, Maine), three in-state newspapers published by Maine Today Media.

Wirecast has catapulted us to a higher level of HD production and streaming. More importantly, we’re able to put sponsor logos on scoreboards and roll commercials during our breaks. Considering the success of our Maine high school sports webcasts, there’s no doubt we’ve caught lightning in a bottle.

Wirecast makes it possible for people like us—with aspirations to play in the big leagues—to become broadcasters of high-quality HD sporting events. When viewers tell us our webcasts are on par with televised games they’ve seen, we’re very proud of that. And they’re grateful to be able to watch games they wouldn’t otherwise see on their TV, computer or mobile device. With growing interest from online fans and increasing sponsorship from advertisers comes the responsibility to deliver a flawless show every time, and that’s what Wirecast enables us to do.

Robert Munzing is owner of Munzing Media.

PILOTING FILM FESTIVALS WITH AJA KI PRO

As an independent filmmaker, I understand the effort that goes into launching a film on the festival circuit, which is why I formed Cinematiq in 2013 to help emerging indie talent. We manage content for film festivals across America, and also provide transcoding, conversion, standardization and disc-based authoring services to filmmakers.

In the last few years, we’ve come up with a file-based workflow using AJA Ki Pros to play back exhibition screenings at film festival venues. To prepare for each event, we gather master QuickTime files from the filmmakers and transcode them using tools including Adobe’s Media Encoder, FFmpeg and Apple’s Compressor. We load the films to AJA KiStor drives and create playlists in the desired order for HD playback. We then QC them on the Ki Pros to ensure the files are free from corrupt frames and unwanted artifacts.

We’ve found several advantages to this workflow. When we walk on-site with our Ki Pros, we’re ready to project the films in 10-bit ProRes. We are confident that audiences will have a high-quality viewing experience, and we can make any changes to the lineup on the fly. As each festival requires

AARON OWEN

different connection types, Ki Pro has also helped us adapt to a variety of venue environments with its extensive range of connections.

Aaron Owen is founder and chief engineer at Cinematiq.

BLACKMAGIC TERANEX PLAYS BALL IN VENEZUELA

Promar TV, Venezuela’s largest production company and television station, built a new OB truck to broadcast every single game of the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional (LVBP), South America’s largest professional baseball league. Promar TV recently became the official production company for the LVBP, managing the production of all games for national and foreign networks and channels, including Fox Sports, ESPN and every major television station in Venezuela. Each game is captured in HD, and stations are offered up to four format options for their individual broadcasts thanks to the powerful conversion capabilities of Blackmagic Design’s Teranex 2D Processor. Promar TV equipped its 23-foot tactical OB truck with four Teranex 2D Processors, along with additional Blackmagic Design equipment.

According to Jorge Santiago Kossowski, engineering manager at Promar TV, “In Venezuela, not all broadcasts are in high definition. We still have 4:3 broadcasts, which is standard definition, and 16:9, which is widescreen. We use Teranex to manage all of the conversions. It’s so simple. One push of a button and you have the change. And in live event production, where time is money, this type of fast transaction is critical.”

Promar TV’s OB truck

MARSHALL ENCODER IS WORKHORSE FOR AZZURRO HD

At Azzurro HD, we are using both the HD-SDI and HDMI models of Marshall Electronics’ VS-102 encoder/decoder. The primary use is for program return feeds, prompter feeds and video monitor feeds. We also send mix-minus IFB over the audio channel, rather than using a phone line. (IFB is the audio feed that goes into the talent’s ear, which can be interrupted and replaced by the television producer or director’s intercom in order for them to cue the talent during a broadcast.) Marshall’s encoder is a great tool for this purpose because of its low latency, which is crucial for IFB to produce a natural conversation between the anchor and the guest.

We did have an anomaly come up with one of our international clients that turned out to be a firmware issue. We hadn’t come across it before because it was specific to 50 Hz versus 60 Hz.

It was for our client in Australia. When we brought it to Marshall’s attention, they quickly identified where the compatibility problem was occurring. They were able to get the issue resolved within 48 hours and sent us new firmware to upload to the encoders. I was impressed with how quickly they were able to resolve the issue. In the case of Australia, the encoders are required to be on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we needed a solution that would be reliable while operating constantly.

DAVE LANTON

Dave Lanton

We have confidence that the Marshall encoders will continue to work well in these types of applications.

Dave Lanton is vice president of technology at Azzurro HD.

MATROX DELIVERS FOR RACING FANS

Racing fans can’t get enough of their sport, and MotorSportsBroadcasting. com is happy to give them the action they crave in live webcasts and ondemand viewing. Delivering high-quality HD productions is the responsibility of Sam Provencher, president of operations. Challenges abound. Streaming from a different location each weekend means that equipment has to be entirely mobile. Internet connectivity in rural areas where most racetracks are located can be problematic. Quick, easy setup is a necessity, and reliability is paramount.

After extensive research, Provencher settled on StreamVu as his service provider and the Matrox Monarch HD streaming and recording appliance StreamVu recommended.

Matrox Monarch HD is an easy-touse H.264 encoder designed to simultaneously stream a live event and record a mastering-quality version for post-event editing. It generates an H.264-encoded stream compliant with RTSP or RTMP protocol from any HDMI input source, such as a camera or switcher.

“Streaming is not part of our workflow—it is our workflow,” Provencher says. “As a mobile production service, we have to be able to arrive on site and begin streaming live in 10 minutes or less. We work with various switchers and they all feed the Monarch HD encoder, which ensures that we are capturing the broadcast-ready feed for local recording as well as sending out a high-quality live stream. Monarch HD is so versatile, we can stream at our ideal of 2.8 Mb/s for high quality, or when Internet speed is lacking, at 700 Kb/s. It’s dynamic enough to handle the full range with exceptional reliability and quality. It’s one of our smallest pieces of production equipment, yet it’s the most valuable.”

Sam Provencher (right) from MotorSportsBroadcasting.com and Mario Sanchez from production company VDO2Net

RYERSON UNIVERSITY CALLS THE SHOTS WITH PESA LIVE

To generate greater audience participation and enthusiasm for the 2015 CIS National Men’s Final 8 Basketball Tournament, which was held this March at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, the RTA School of Media partnered with PESA Live to create a multichannel streaming video app available for download by all fans in the stadium.

The PESA Live app is part of the PESA Live Services (PLS) system, which is built around the PESA Xstream streaming media appliance. The free app works with Android and iOS devices to stream video to a quadscreen display. Users select which of the synchronized video sources they’d like to watch during a live event, and they’re able to compose tweets within the app without missing any of the action.

During the basketball games, RTA students produced multicamera content for the feeds as well as a promotional video for PESA Live. Ryerson computer science students and technical staff helped to create the application.

Partnerships with industry are very important for our students. Creating this app with PESA allowed them to apply their skills to innovate the way audiences engage with live broadcasts and with each other. Two Ryerson students have taken positions at PESA to continue their work on the project, which is a great thing for the individuals and the school.

RICK GRUNBERG

Ryerson University CIS basketball control room

During events, the PESA Live app also allows content producers to add logos and other branding to the video, as well as insert revenue-generating advertising.

Rick Grunberg is associate professor at the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University.

STREAMING FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION

Hendrik Information Systems is a multimedia production and delivery systems provider focused on distance learning and concurrent video streaming for some of the country’s largest medical institutions. We help academic medical centers and schools like Cedars-Sinai Hospital, Miami Children’s Hospital and Houston Methodist to move video wherever (and whenever) they need it to go.

Our clients webcast a wide range of events, from seminars to “grand rounds” to full conferences, all of which can be viewed live or ondemand. For several years we have used StreamGuys’ cloud-based content delivery network (CDN) and onpremise servers to handle all of our automated transcoding services.

During a typical event, we record video of a keynote speaker and then deliver it over the Internet to viewers around the world watching on a wide variety of devices. Typical webcasts include a dual feed with two unique players—one focused on the presenter and the other streaming a slideshow of content that supports the speaker. StreamGuys’ transcoding technology processes content once for delivery to online, mobile and OTT devices, while supporting multiple streaming formats. We currently use a player we designed in-house but expect to upgrade to StreamGuys’ HTML5based SGplayer moving forward.

For redundancy, we use StreamGuys’ backup services in tandem with a high-availability server—where the on-demand content resides for later use. Reliability for each live event is assured through a dedicated backup

MARK SANGSTER

server. Our clients don’t tolerate failure, and StreamGuys’ robust, reliable CDN architecture ensures our streams are always available, with exceptional quality.

Mark Sangster is president and CEO of Hendrik Information Systems in Houston, Texas.

TERADEK SENDS DJI’S DRONE AROUND THE WORLD

DJI reached out to the team at Teradek with an ambitious goal for the worldwide launch of their Phantom 3 aerial imaging drone on April 8. The event required a live stream to multiple locations including New York, London, Munich and China, and worldwide via YouTube Live.

The team selected the Teradek Bond II bonded cellular device for the task, particularly for its ability to combine the bandwidth of multiple Internet connections to maintain a reliable live stream using cellular modems and an Ethernet connection. Also beneficial: the device’s small footprint, affordable price and broadcast-quality signal.

Live video from DJI’s Experience Wonder event in New York was transmitted by the Bond to Teradek Core, a web-based workflow management system for Teradek encoders, decoders and cellular bonding systems. Core allowed the crew to manage and record the stream, as well as distribute the program to DJI launch parties in London and Munich.

“Utilizing the Bond as well as Core, we were able to provide an experience that our customers will remember all around the world. Everyone was able to share, in real time, the release of a revolutionary new product,” says Willis Chung, marketing manager of DJI. “With just this small device and a laptop, we were streaming to YouKu [a Chinese video hosting service] and YouTube for a global launch of the Phantom 3.”

“Core was essential for the success of this event,” says Topher Delancy, brand manager for Teradek. “What would have normally taken a satellite truck and an entire team of engineers instead required just one operator managing and distributing the stream from their laptop.”

Teradek Bond II with DJI Phantom 3

WOWZA AND LEARNCORE HELP COMPANIES POLISH THEIR SKILLS

One of the most important investments companies can make is in training their teams. The challenge is making training sessions approachable, engaging and impactful. At LearnCore, we are transforming the face of corporate skill development and turning everyday employees into top performers—one video at a time.

Our cloud-based learning platform relies on Wowza Streaming Engine to deliver on-demand and live video for training, role-playing and sharing best practices. LearnCore clients create curriculum and assessments for employees to certify their knowledge, practice their presentation skills and even demonstrate how to pitch the latest sales deck. With Wowza, employees are able to record responses to role-playing challenges and capture video of themselves giving presentations and meeting with clients. Learners can then watch the video, critique themselves, record additional attempts or submit the video to colleagues for coaching and feedback.

This active skill building makes training more impactful and more feasible for globally dispersed companies. While most learners watch the streams on a computer, they are also able to view streams on a mobile device or tablet within a browser. Future plans for LearnCore include a mobile application.

“Within Wowza Streaming Engine, we have the ability to load balance

ETHAN LINKNER

Wowza Streaming Workflow

Input/ Publishing

Live Content Source

Video On Demand Wowza Streaming Engine

Camera SHOUTcast or Icecast

Wowza GoCoder™

IP Camera

Encoder

Supported Streaming Protocols and Codecs

Protocols:

• RTSP/RTP • MPEG-TS • RTMP • ICY • HTTP Codecs:

• H.264 • MPEG-4 • MPEG-2 • AC-3 • E-AC-3

…and many more. See full specifications at wowza.com/wse-specs

Local or Network Attached

Storage

Supported Protocols & Codecs * Prepare

• Transrate • Transcode • Transmux • Encrypt ...all on the fly! Deliver

• Apple® HLS • MPEG-DASH • Adobe® HDS • Microsoft® Smooth Streaming • RTSP/RTP • Multicast • RTMP

Your Server Deploy

Deploy OS-independent Wowza Streaming Engine on your physical server or in the cloud

Any 3rd party cloud provider Supported Protocols & Codecs *

Key Capabilities

• Multi-format

Streaming • Live Adaptive bitrate streaming up to 1080P • Live stream recording & archiving • Closed caption • High-quality video streaming (across all devices) • Security/content protection • Extensive APIs • Browser-based manager Extended Features

• Transcoder AddOn • nDVR AddOn • DRM AddOn Output/ Playback

Choose Player

Wowza supports all common 3rd party players

Gaming

Tablet OTT

Devices

Computer

Mobile

© 2014 Wowza Media Systems, LLC. All rights reserved. Wowza and related marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wowza Media Systems, LLC. Third-party product names and related marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of such third parties. Use of third-party product names and marks does not imply any a liation with or endorsement by such third-parties.

at an application level. This feature enables our video streaming workflow to handle concurrent users without sacrificing quality.”

Ethan Linkner is chief operating officer and co-founder of LearnCore.

Expert advice, professional results.

VIDEO CAMERAS • SWITCHERS • PROJECTORS • TRIPODS • LENSES • TELEPROMPTERS • CAMERAS

LIVESHOT BRINGS NORTH METRO TELEVISION TO THE PARADE

North Metro Television is the community access television station serving Blaine, Minn., and the surrounding suburbs. In addition to providing a platform for locally produced content on our community channel, we run a separate channel for broadcasting local sports, news and government coverage.

Before adopting Comrex LiveShot, we were not able to broadcast live sports. We had been recording games and airing them a few hours after the fact. But we knew the importance of providing our audience with live coverage, especially with sports. If you already know what happens, there’s no reason to watch. We needed a solution that would allow us to stream live from any location, while providing consistently high picture quality and very low delay.

I was initially impressed by the quality of Comrex LiveShot’s visuals, but it was the low delay that impressed me the most. Over an AT&T cellular network, using an antenna, we can usually expect about a half-second delay.

LiveShot has worked well for us during live events. We used it for our November 2014 election coverage and found the built-in IFB very useful. I was able to communicate from the studio directly with the cameraman and the talent in the field without using a cellphone or any additional hardware.

Aside from going HD, being able

MATT WALDRON

to put our channel live on the air from any location is probably the biggest thing to happen here in quite a while. This summer we’re planning to broadcast from important local events like parades that we’ve never been able to cover before.

Matt Waldron is the sports producer for North Metro Television.

← AURORA MULTIMEDIA CORP. IPX-TC1

The Aurora IPX-TC1 is an IP streaming solution based on Aurora’s IPBaseT technology, which synergizes various IP/AV standards to work together as one. This single unit can be user-defined as either a transmitter (encoder) or receiver (decoder), making overall system design, ordering, stocking and deployment quick and easy. The IPX-TC1 offers an optional slot to add other IP capabilities like USB 2.0 over IP or Dante audio for a more complete distributed system. Audio, video, data and control can be sent securely to one or more units using off-the-shelf 10 GbE fiber switches. The IP/AV solution supports up to 128 x 128 channels with HDCP as well as unlimited scalability without HDCP. www.auroramultimedia.com

DATAVIDEO → NVS-25

NVS-25 is a small, easy-to-use H.264 video streaming and recording appliance designed for professional video producers who need to simultaneously stream a live event and record the master-quality version for post-event editing. From any HDMI/SDI/CVBS input source such as a camera or switcher, the NVS-25 generates an H.264 encoded stream that is compliant with RTSP, RTMP and HLS protocols. While encoding the video for live streaming, NVS-25 can simultaneously record an MP4 or TS file to a USB storage device. Variable bit rates can be selected for high quality recording or streams. The unit also supports deinterlace video streaming for progressive output, making it compatible with CDNs such as YouTube and Ustream. MSRP $800. www.datavideo.us

WOHLER TECHNOLOGIES → iAM-MVAM

Wohler Technologies’ iAM-MVAM multifunction confidence monitor decodes and monitors MPEG transport streams carrying MPEG-2 and MPEG4/H.264 encoded video, along with all associated data tables for complete confidence. With this capability, the iAM-MVAM facilitates monitoring scenarios that previously would have been impractical or cost-prohibitive. Available with either four 4.3-inch displays (iAM-MVAM-2443) or two 7-inch displays (iAM-MVAM-3270), the unit handles inputs from multi-rate SDI, ASI and IP interfaces, serving as an ideal solution for cost-effective real-time MPEG TS, SDI and HDMI monitoring. www.wohler.com

↓ VITEC MGW D265

VITEC’s MGW D265 portable HEVC and H.264 IP decoder provides decoding for any IPTV and full-motion video application. The device delivers a compact footprint, best-in-class connectivity options and ultra-low delay. Supporting next-generation HEVC (H.265) compression technology, the MGW D265 lets IP video applications benefit from up to 40 percent savings in network bandwidth compared to the H.264 format. Perfect for portable missions or stationary decoding on any network, the decoder provides connectivity options including HD-SDI, SD-SDI, HDMI and composite video while offering low end-to-end latency (400 milliseconds). www.vitec.com/products/ decoders/

iAM-MVAM-2443

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