ITV

Category: Technology

  • Streambox-US Video technology pioneer to enter India

    Streambox-US Video technology pioneer to enter India

    New Delhi : Streambox, the industry leading pioneer in delivering unique IP based video streaming solutions over low bandwidth connections, has announced the opening of a new sales office in Mumbai to address the vibrant post-production markets in India and southeast Asia.

    “We are truly excited to launch in India, one of the largest and most active markets in the post-production and television broadcast industries," said Streambox CEO and co-founder Bob Hildeman. "Streambox products are a perfect fit for India’s rapid growth in media production and associated activities, such as film, post production and broadcast.” 

    Streambox offers end-to-end solutions for remote collaboration across a wide range of workflows, including editorial reviews, colour grading reviews and audio. According to the company, the collaborators can view and hear a live, colour-accurate audio/video stream in their edit suites, at home on cloud-based workstations, or even using an iPad or iPhone. 

    The company has appointed Sanjeev Kr Sinha as the country sales manager for India and southeast Asia. Sinha brings more than 15 years of experience in sales and marketing in the broadcast, cable TV, OTT post-production, and education industries, said the company on Wednesday.

    "We are thrilled to have Sanjeev join our team and taking a leading role in our business expansion in southeast Asia" said Hildeman.

    Sinha added, “I am very excited to work for a global pioneer like Streambox. I see huge potential for Streambox products in the post-production and video market in India and southeast Asia, which is the hub of post-production, broadcasters and film production activity in this region.”

    Streambox has developed optimised technology that can pack functionality like HDR and 12 bit 4:4:4 RGB processing into pixels, and intelligent utilisation of available network paths to achieve higher rates of transport and playback based on its proprietary leading edge ACTL – Advanced Compression Technology Level 3/5 codec and state of the art Low Delay Multi-Path Protocol.

  • Mowies optimises its workflow with Harmonic’s VOS Cloud Streaming SaaS

    Mowies optimises its workflow with Harmonic’s VOS Cloud Streaming SaaS

    MUMBAI: LATAM-based on-demand media platform Mowies, which has a unique revenue model for creators of feature films, documentaries, TV series, theatrical performances, concerts, and other original content, has decided to optimise its workflow with Harmonic's VOS 360 cloud streaming offering. 

    The VOS360 SaaS provides Mowies with an easy-to-use, end-to-end solution for media processing and delivery, optimising bandwidth usage and enabling an exceptional viewing experience for viewers.

    "As a recent entrant to the streaming market, Mowies is growing rapidly as more creators and users come on board every day. Harmonic's VOS360 SaaS gives us the ability to scale based on our growing viewership, without requiring investments in infrastructure. Thanks to Harmonic, we have a streamlined solution from source to screen, and we can confidently keep adding new content and gaining much-needed visibility for content creators," said Mowies CEO Alejo Arango. 

    Harmonic's VOS360 SaaS supports the entire streaming workflow from ingest to delivery, allowing simpler on-demand streaming with easy control through a rich API. Mowies has improved the streaming quality and lowered overall streaming costs with Harmonic's EyeQ, an AI-based encoding technology on the VOS360 platform. EyeQ encoding reduces Mowies' storage and CDN requirements by up to 50 per cent compared with traditional encoding methods. Harmonic's worldwide team of DevOps experts provides 24/7 monitoring and assistance to ensure the highest service availability for Mowies at all times. 

    Harmonic vice president – sales and marketing (Latin America) Alvaro Martin said, "Mowies required a fast time-to-market, and that's an area where the VOS360 platform really shines. With its flexible cloud-based architecture, the VOS360 platform was up and running in weeks. With the VOS360 solution powering their streaming workflow, Mowies can deliver content from independent content creators and Hollywood filmmakers via a single, end-to-end platform, reducing their operating costs and decreasing complexity." 

  • Disney+ Hotstar signs CLEAR Production Cloud to manage its Originals content

    Disney+ Hotstar signs CLEAR Production Cloud to manage its Originals content

    Mumbai: Video streaming platform Disney+ Hotstar has signed a multi-year deal for CLEAR Production Cloud, from Prime Focus Technologies, to enable secure and collaborative production workflows for its Originals content.                   

    “Covid2019 has reinforced the importance of cloud-based workflows for the media and entertainment industry in production. Virtualised collaboration is a heightened requirement now more than ever for our Originals. We evaluated multiple products in the market-place and found CLEAR to be more promising to cater to our production supply chain needs. We will now be using CLEAR to handle our supply chain for all of our Originals,” said Disney+ Hotstar head of technology Akash Saxena.

    CLEAR gives users the flexibility to log-in from anywhere, anytime to upload, review, approve, edit, and share content. It allows for user-friendly features like mobile (iOS and Android) and Apple TV support, virtual playlist editor, elastic search engine, customisable projects homepage, and next-gen HTML5 Player, that will change the way the production teams work and collaborate at Disney+ Hotstar.

    “We are extremely delighted to be supporting Disney+ Hotstar on yet another transformation initiative,” said Prime Focus Technologies founder and global CEO Ramki Sankaranarayanan. “We’ve been managing production workflows in Hollywood for over 10 years and are excited to have a major studio in India sign up for CLEAR to help manage their production workflows — from pre-production prep files, schedules, scripts to production dailies and post-production cuts all on one software.”

  • Broadpeak performs world’s first demonstration of Streaming Video Alliance open caching APIs

    Broadpeak performs world’s first demonstration of Streaming Video Alliance open caching APIs

    New Delhi: CDN and video streaming solutions firm Broadpeak has successfully performed the world's first live demonstration of Streaming Video Alliance Open Caching APIs.

    Streaming Video Alliance Open Caching is a new approach to streaming that extends the reach of telecom operators, attracting more content providers to use their local caching infrastructure. It is basically a set of open APIs that standardises the interface between the hosted local cache infrastructure of an internet service provider (ISP), the party operating it, and the content providers. By moving the hosted video caches as close as possible to end users' terminals, it reduces traffic across a telecom operator's core network and improves streaming quality of experience.

    "The alliance exists to solve critical technical challenges facing online video delivery, with the ultimate aim of improving consumer adoption," said Streaming Video Alliance executive director Jason Thibeault. "With this, Broadpeak is taking a huge step toward optimising the relationship between content providers and network operators. We're excited about the positive impact it will have on the quality of experience for end users."

    "Without a clear, common, and simple API definition, it was difficult to drive further developments and conduct interoperable tests for Streaming Video Alliance Open Caching," said Broadpeak, principal engineer & head of exploration Guillaume Bichot. "We're proud of our team for taking the lead on specifying this API, relying on the set of Alliance specifications, and converging the various options into a simple API that enables faster developments and interoperability.”

    The demo took place during the Streaming Video Alliance's first 2021 quarterly meeting and was powered by a complete setup that included the video content source and Broadpeak's umbrellaCDN CDN selector on the client side, and Broadpeak's BkM100 for CDN management and BkS400 local cache server on the ISP side.

    Photo Caption: Broadpeak successfully performs world's first live demonstration of Streaming Video Alliance Open Caching APIs.

  • Israeli firm brings advanced ‘emotion detection’ technology to Gulf region

    Israeli firm brings advanced ‘emotion detection’ technology to Gulf region

    New Delhi: The human resource (HR) departments of government organisations across the Gulf region will soon be able to test an advanced voice analytics service, which can detect the emotional state of a person from their voice. The new technology developed by an Israel based tech firm Nemesysco will be provided by Dubai based Spire Solutions which has signed a partnership agreement with the tech firm on Monday.

    Spire Solutions, a value added distributor in the Middle East and Africa, initially plans to promote the Layered Voice Analysis (LVA) technology developed by Nemesysco in the United Arab Emirates. The technology is designed to determine the emotional state of a person by detecting and measuring uncontrolled psycho-physiological changes to a person's voice during open conversations. It is considered to be indifferent to language or the content of speech and can detect and measure a range of emotions, including excitement, enthusiasm, assertiveness, aggression, stress, frustration, fatigue and more, according to the company.

    Spire Solutions will offer the voice analytics service to the HR departments of enterprises and government organisations to allow them to assess the personalities of candidates, including evaluating levels of honesty, and identify potential risks based on measurements of genuine emotional responses to questions during interviews and pre-employment testing.

    According to the company's claim, such personality and risk assessment can allow HR teams to optimise their candidate selection processes by enabling them to utilise  "highly accurate data" with higher levels of predictability than was previously available. This service can also be used to conduct personality and risk assessments of existing employees and even external contractors and suppliers, it stated.

    Spire Solutions has already begun large-scale proof-of-concept trials of its voice analytics service for a number of government organisations and enterprises in the region. "We are honored to partner with Nemesysco and introduce its market leading Layered Voice Analysis solutions in the MEA region," said Spire Solutions founder and president Sanjeev Walia. “We see a growing demand for remote recruitment and remote working, which are increasing organisational risks. Using Nemesysco's advanced voice analysis and emotion detection, we will help customers to recruit the right talent via pre-employment integrity and personality evaluation.”

    It also plans to target law enforcement agencies, call centers and financial service providers. At a later stage, Spire Solutions is planning to expand the geographic reach for Nemesysco's solutions to include additional countries across the Middle East and selected countries in Africa.

    "We are tremendously pleased with how quickly synergies developed between the teams of both companies and have strong expectations for achieving mutual success with Spire," stated Nemesysco CEO Amir Liberman. "We see our cooperation with Spire as not only meaningful from the business perspective, but also as a testament for the benefits of peace and cooperation between our two countries that only a short time ago was not even imaginable."

  • Sports video operators & rights owners can unlock $28 billion in new revenue by combating piracy

    Sports video operators & rights owners can unlock $28 billion in new revenue by combating piracy

    New Delhi: Amid the growing threat posed by streaming pirates, a new research conducted by Synamedia has found that service providers and rights holders of sports events can unlock up to $28.3 billion in new revenue each year by putting some anti-piracy measures into place.

    The UK-based video software provider company undertook the survey in ten markets – Brazil, Egypt, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, the UK and the US in March 2020 in partnership with data and analytics firm Ampere Analysis. Over 6,000 sports fans aged 18-64 years who were part of the survey were pre-filtered and chosen based on their experience of watching sports on TV.

    The online quantitative study used a new model to evaluate how different illegal viewers respond to anti-piracy measures. According to the report, 74 per cent of sports fans are willing to switch from illegal streams if a legitimate alternative is available and if the illegal streams become unreliable. Majority of these fans are younger and are often families with young children. They are avid sports viewers with many watching 10 or more different sports using connected devices.

    At least 40 per cent of the converter cohort say they would subscribe to OTT streaming sports services, including single-sport services run by rights owners, with the balance opting for traditional pay-TV services, particularly those that offer exclusive sports rights. In fact, 57 per cent of the converter cohort already pay for legitimate services and 52 per cent pay for pirate services, as per the study.

    However, converting pirate customers to legitimate ones require service providers to address the triggers that encourage consumers to seek out illegal services in the first place, said the study. Some of these measures could be a flexible access without complex installations or long contracts, ease of use, and availability on every device in any location, coupled with a price point that is often much lower than a traditional pay-TV service with premium sports tiers included.

    “After years of growth, a recent downturn in rights fees has been exacerbated by the pandemic, hitting sports rights hard. But just as the value of rights is being eroded, there is now the prospect of creating new revenues by converting illegal viewers into paid subscribers,” said Synamedia senior vice president of security Yael Fainaro. 

    While previous attempts to value the revenue leakage from sports streaming piracy took a crude approach, Fainaro said the software provider company now has the detail to develop targeted approaches and the tools to deliver quantifiable results, ensuring every investment hits the jackpot.

    The report – Pricing piracy: the value of action, uses a detailed model that takes into account all the complexities and nuances of sports piracy viewing. It identifies the demographics and characteristics of those illegal users who are most likely to convert to legal services, including their reaction when illegal viewing is disrupted.

    As service providers address the triggers that lead consumers to seek out illegal services, the report can help them in transforming piracy from a cost centre into a revenue opportunity with measurable RoI. The findings can also enable service providers to target interventions – such as disrupting streams and incentives – at those viewers most likely to switch to legitimate services: the ‘converter cohort’, said the company, which has an experience of over three decades in video security.

  • LG showcases next gen products at CES 2021

    LG showcases next gen products at CES 2021

    SEOUL: LG Electronics is showcasing its products and technologies under the theme of ‘Display, now the real world comes to you’ at CES 2021. The company is emphasising on the redefined role of displays in the contactless era as well as presenting various display solutions optimised for the lifestyle of customers during CES.

    LG Display is presenting cutting-edge display products through 11 lifestyle theme zones organised to not only demonstrate the excellent picture quality of OLED displays but also to introduce how displays can provide solutions for upgraded and more convenient lives. By doing so, the company will highlight three values of displays, which are ‘Natural Reality’, ‘Lifestyle in Harmony’, and ‘Better for People’. Furthermore, the company stresses the role of a ‘display that cares about people’ by showing functions that are safer and designed to protect users’ health.

    LG Display’s new 77-inch OLED display shows significant progress in picture quality through newly developed and highly efficient materials as well as the addition of a layer to the display, thereby improving its efficiency by around 20 per cent. Higher efficiency means that the display improves its brightness to realize more vivid images.

    LG Display is planning to apply its advanced next-generation OLED technology to high-end TV models that will be launched this year and gradually expand its adoption. In addition, the company is set to strengthen its lineup by producing 83-inch and 42-inch OLED TV displays starting this year, adding to the existing 88-inch, 77-inch, 65-inch, 55-inch, and 48-inch OLED TV displays. It also plans to significantly expand its mid-range TV display lineup down to the 20-30-inch range, enhancing not only TV, but also gaming, mobility, and personal display options.

    It will also introduce differentiated products such as film cinematic sound OLED (Film CSO), which is able to feature an even slimmer design and to generate sound directly from the screen without separate speakers.

    While 200,000 displays were shipped during the first year of OLED TV production in 2013, the number of units shipped reached 4.5 million last year, and LG Display plans to expand that to between 7 and 8 million displays this year to solidify its competitive advantage in the next-generation TV market and accelerate the OLED trend.

    “Through the evolution of OLED, LG Display will expand its differentiated competitiveness and market dominance in premium TV markets,” said LG Display executive VP and head of the TV business unit Chang-ho Oh.

    The company will also demonstrate a variety of professional display products for monitors and laptops, ranging from 15.6-inch to 27-inch to 31.5-inch displays. These are premium IT products incorporating high-definition IPS LCD technology, which has been recognised as being comfortable for the viewer’s eyes.

    The Smart Home Zone will feature a bed with a 55-inch transparent OLED named Smart Bed, which you can use to check weather information or watch movies. At the push of a button, the Smart Bed’s 55-inch Transparent OLED display rises from its frame to show information or TV contents in various screen ratios without compromising its clear image quality. The Smart Bed display’s movable frame can easily be taken to various locations in a house to serve the diverse needs of users.

    The Game Zone will present the best gaming environment, providing the ultimate sense of realism with visual immersion and vivid sound through LG Display’s 48-inch bendable cinematic sound OLED (CSO) gaming TV, which is being unveiled for the first time in the world. It can be turned into a flat screen while watching TV or used as a curved screen while gaming for an extreme immersive viewing experience. With the company’s CSO technology, this OLED display vibrates and makes its own sound without the use of speakers.

    Moreover, LG Display is proposing a new display concept needed for consumers in the contactless era caused by Covid2019. The Restaurant Zone will recreate a sushi bar environment, in which a 55-inch transparent OLED and a 23.1-inch in-touch display are installed in the space between customers and chefs, allowing menu checking and ordering to be easily done via these displays.

    In the case of the Metro Zone, it will give passengers the chance to check route maps or weather and regional information on a 55-inch Transparent OLED display installed on a subway train’s windows, while they will still be able to enjoy the view outside with high transparency.

    The Retail Zone will also introduce 29-inch and 23.1-inch in-touch products, making it convenient to order and pay in a contactless environment at various consumer stores.

  • Synamedia partners with Akamai to speed up pirate takedowns

    Synamedia partners with Akamai to speed up pirate takedowns

    KOLKATA: Independent video software provider Synamedia has integrated its security and watermarking solutions with Akamai to protect customers’ streaming OTT content.

    Synamedia’s solutions now detect and disrupt pirate streams in real time over the Akamai Intelligent Edge Platform and redirect viewers to legitimate services. The integration of Synamedia’s Streaming Piracy Disruption (SPD) managed service with Akamai’s platform gives rights holders and content owners an added layer of anti-piracy enforcement and revenue protection.

    The digital and OTT streaming industry has expressed concerns over the epidemic of piracy, which has only grown more widespread and resilient over the past year as demand for content shot up with people cooped up in their homes and production and cinema halls shut down. The collaboration between Synamedia and Akamai is aimed at dealing a decisive blow to pirates who engage in broadcast content theft.

    Taking advantage of Synamedia’s intelligence-first security approach, Synamedia EverGuard  counter-piracy operations center predicts which client devices will be used by pirates to leak content and determines the effectiveness of different actions, including quarantining agents and prosecution, to cause maximum pain. SPD uses resilient watermark injection and verification technologies as well as smart agents embedded in the headend and client devices to deliver the industry’s most comprehensive end-to-end solution.

    “When illegal streams are disrupted, particularly during live sports, viewers tend to give up on pirated streams and switch to legal services. Akamai’s platform is used by many of our pay-TV and OTT customers and this integration will strengthen their ability to combat piracy at speed and scale,” Security Synamedia senior vice president Yael Fainaro said.

    Akamai media product management Amit Kasturia explained the network’s scalable and secure edge watermarking integrations are intended to help customers identify pirates’ attempts to capture content and minimise illegal distribution. “The seamless integration of Synamedia’s intelligence-led security solutions with our platform can offer customers a quicker way of shutting down illegal streams, which is critical for the success of streaming rights for live sports,” he added.

    Synamedia is now a member of Akamai’s Media Technology Partner program. The program is designed to foster interoperability, and referral agreements between Akamai and best-of-breed third-party solutions providers to give customers a range of options in selecting workflow components that work seamlessly with Akamai solutions deployed on its platform.

    Synamedia has 30+ years’ experience in video security solutions, and developed the longest unhacked solution on the market. Since its inception, Synamedia’s operational security team has brought many criminals to the attention of law enforcement officials. Synamedia protects approximately $70 billion in operator revenues every year.

  • Samsung introduces latest innovations at Consumer Electronics Show 2021

    Samsung introduces latest innovations at Consumer Electronics Show 2021

    NEW DELHI: Samsung opened the Consumer Electronics Show 2021 with a crisp, 30-minute keynote, sharing its vision for the future and introducing a slew of new products at the virtual press conference. Among fresh launches is its new range of bespoke refrigerators that you can mix, match and combine into different configurations. Samsung has also launched its first MicroLED TV, which will be commercially available in a couple of months in a whopping, 110-inch avatar. 

    The South Korean electronics conglomerate also detailed its AI ecosystem and smart home software, as well as its sustainability efforts. Alongside the catchy demos of its smart home gizmos, two of Samsung's sustainability efforts caught the eye. The first is its shift to its DRAMs and SSDs in its data centres and servers, which can apparently make a 7TWh (Tera-Watt-hour) difference in energy consumption. The second is its proposed software updates to older Galaxy range of smartphones, which can turn them into specific use-case devices such as baby monitors or long-range remotes for appliances.

    Samsung Electronics president and head of Samsung Research Sebastian Seung said, “Our world looks different, and many of you have been faced with a new reality–one where, among other things, your home has taken on a greater significance. Our innovations are designed to provide more personal and more intuitive experiences that express your personality. We’re hard at work to bring you next-generation innovation, with AI as the core enabler, for your better tomorrow.”

    Here are a few highlights and launches at the Samsung event:

        Samsung Bespoke 4-Door Flex: The latest version of the Bespoke refrigerator features changeable panels that come with a choice of colours and materials that made the original a success, allowing consumers to adjust their fridge for form and function. The new four-door model will be available in North America this spring.

        110-inch MicroLED: This new screen features self-lit inorganic LED with a slim and nearly bezel-less Infinity Screen design that seamlessly blends into the living space. The result is a spectacularly immersive viewing experience with astounding picture quality. The 110-inch MicroLED also adds “4Vue” (Quad View), a four-way viewing option—so you can keep up with multiple sports at once, or stream a tutorial while playing a video game. Also, for US consumers, more than 160 free channels1 are available through Samsung TV Plus. MICRO LED will be rolled out globally beginning this spring.

        Lifestyle TV: Samsung’s cutting-edge lifestyle TV lineup includes The Serif, The Frame, The Sero and The Terrace—a recently launched 4K QLED outdoor TV—as well as Samsung The Premiere, a cinema-like quality 4K laser projector.

        SmartThings Cooking: A new service from Samsung SmartThings is designed to make your culinary journey seamless. An automatic Meal Planner powered by Whisk’s Food AI recommends meals for the whole week, makes shopping lists with the ingredients you need, and connects to grocery retailers for one-stop shopping straight from the Family Hub refrigerator or your mobile screen. Recipe instructions can be sent directly to synced Samsung cooking devices to minimize hassles and mistakes.

        Samsung Health Smart Trainer on Samsung 2021 TVs: Samsung Health seamlessly transforms the home into a personal gym, and the new Smart Trainer4 feature tracks and analyses posture in real time, just like a personal trainer. During and post-workout, Smart Trainer provides feedback on form, helps you count your reps, and estimates calories burned. Also includes video and interactive training via Bixby-enabled voice control.

         JetBot 90 AI+: Coming to the US 1H 2021, this new vacuum cleaner uses object recognition technology to identify and classify objects to decide the best cleaning path. LiDAR and 3D sensors allow JetBot 90 AI+ to avoid cables and small objects, while still cleaning hard-to-reach corners in your home. Also outfitted with a camera, JetBot 90 AI+ is integrated with the SmartThings app to assist you with home monitoring.

        Samsung Bot Care: Designed to use AI to recognise and respond to your behaviour. It will be able to act as both a robotic assistant and companion, helping to take care of the details in your life. It will also learn your schedule and habits and send you reminders to help guide you throughout your busy day.

        Samsung Bot Handy: Will rely on advanced AI to recognize and pick up objects of varying sizes, shapes and weights, becoming an extension of you and helping you with work around the house. Samsung Bot Handy will be able to tell the difference between the material composition of various objects, utilising the appropriate amount of force to grab and move around household items and objects, working as your trusted partner to help with house chores like cleaning up messy rooms or sorting out the dishes after a meal.

    Samsung is continuing to build on its Samsung Bot Retail, which would guide users outside the home in retail environments, and GEMS, its health-focused exoskeleton as mobility aide. These innovations allow robots and robotic devices to co-exist with humans, enhancing their lives and catering to a variety of lifestyles and different environments.

  • LiveU & Grass Valley to offer cloud solutions for remote live productions

    LiveU & Grass Valley to offer cloud solutions for remote live productions

    NEW DELHI: LiveU and Grass Valley have joined forces to offer a pre-integrated cloud-based solution for remote live productions, enabling customers to simplify their processes and automate live and non-live news and sports productions in an efficient, agile and customisable workflow.

    LiveU’s co-founder and COO Avi Cohen, said, “With the ongoing shift to cloud production, we are committed to helping our customers maximise these new efficiencies, delivering our live video solutions as-a-service with pre-integrated workflows. Our collaboration with Grass Valley offers customers a highly efficient, flexible and scalable set of tools for going live from the field, providing greater flexibility to adapt to the needs of each and every story, giving a richer viewing experience. Remote live production can be orchestrated from anywhere via LiveU’s and Grass Valley’s integrated cloud environments, or using a hybrid model of choice, integrating high-quality live video feeds with smart automated production capabilities.”

    The collaboration facilitates live production, and news and asset management, in specific ways, helping to simplify the processes and speed up live broadcasts with compelling content. High-quality live feeds can be sent from any of LiveU’s field units for remote switching and live production using LiveU’s cloud solution with Grass Valley’s GV AMPP (Agile Media Processing Platform), the first cloud-based SaaS platform for broadcast to fully leverage the power of elastic compute. Built for the cloud from the start, GV AMPP is specifically designed to overcome broadcasters’ long-time reliance on costly and inflexible hardware-based media systems and provides a modular approach to everyday media workflows.

    In addition, live feeds from LiveU units can be integrated into the GV STRATUS news and asset management tool to streamline the remote news gathering and production workflow. Utilising LiveU’s live video metadata to automate the process and provide metadata enriched assets within GV STRATUS, users can quickly search, browse, edit and publish content – live or file – using a range of smart search criteria and via the smart rules’ engine.

    Grass Valley CEO and president Tim Shoulders said, “As our customers strive to deliver the captivating content and high production values that consumers demand, the GVTA gives them access to trusted solutions that are tested and configured to ensure interoperability with Grass Valley’s solutions – one of the major hurdles our customers face when deploying multi-vendor systems.”