Digital Disruption

Virtual Week 
Cloud & Virtualization

Digital Disruption

Mike Ward, Head of Marketing, Singular.Live

SPEAKER BIO

Having witnessed digital technologies usher in rapid and widespread change across other industries, the live production industry is yet to experience it’s own upheaval. Singular was built to address the shortcomings of traditional, existing technologies and specifically scalability and accessibility. Harnessing digital technologies and aligning those with over two decades of experience working in live production and graphics, Singular allows anyone to create custom broadcast quality graphic overlays from a web browser. Singular overlays use something called Intelligent Overlays that are only available through digital technology. They enable a two way communication between the content creator and the end user whereby the overlays can be adaptive but also personalised and interactive. As a cloud based platform, Singular is completely scalable and has no hardware dependency making it accessible to anyone with a web browser. Like digital solutions in many other industries including phones, transportation, retail, music and home entertainment, Singular is now leading the digital disruption movement that was already gaining momentum, and which has now accelerated rapidly as a result of the Covid 19 lockdowns and the urgent need for cloud and remote productions. Broadcasters and content creators have all now seen that the technology exists and all the benefits that it brings. Turning back is not an option.

The Revolutionary Power Of Software As A Service (SaaS)

Software as a Service is here to stay – It’s the sector that’s predicted to hit well over $600 billion in global value by 2023 (FinancesOnline). Let’s recap – SaaS is the prime method of software delivery, where software and applications are hosted remotely via a vendor. SaaS applications are made available to customers through a network, which often requires a regular subscription to access. Here at PlayBox we’ve championed the countless benefits of truly utilising the cloud with cloud-native SaaS – see Cosmos Technology – and we’re here to share some of those benefits with you.

Truly Worldwide

As a SaaS vendor, your solutions are available on an unprecedented geographic scale. As a recipient of SaaS, you can expect upgrades and maintenance to be implemented with minimal effort – no need to worry about huge infrastructural rehauls. This is especially helpful when you have a significant global presence, enabling each of your international locations to benefit with less of the headache. But global organisations aren’t the only ones to benefit – SaaS has gone a long way to remove conventional geographic barriers of access to traditional software for businesses big and small everywhere. It’s anywhere, anytime.

Scalability

Variable workflows are a perfect match for SaaS. Scalability options are often available for solutions delivered via this medium, enabling you to cope with more intense demand during certain periods. Afterwards, you can always downgrade with no implications – your investments become so much more efficient when not being spent on infrastructure that doesn’t get used for long periods. Changing plans is often a painless process, giving you full control and flexibility over the scale of your output.

SaaS and Broadcasting

It makes sense that broadcasters have started to opt for streamlined SaaS as a move against traditional on-site, hardware-centric approaches. For new, smaller broadcasters and channels, SaaS represents a low expenditure option to ensuring you can get your content out there. It’s this low cost of ownership that makes the industry increasingly more accessible to organisations across the world.

Playout forms just one pillar of the SaaS broadcasting ecosystem – ingest, graphics and encryption are tasks you’ll also see relocating to the cloud as trust in these type of solutions grows. Whether this be in multiple different licensed software modules, or in one box, there’s no boundaries as to what SaaS may eventually achieve for our industry.

Cosmos Technology provides a tried and tested cloud-based playout solution enabling broadcasters and vendors across the globe to spin up OTT and traditional TV channels in a matter of minutes. Cosmos provides a SaaS platform that reduces dependence on capital infrastructure, lowering costs across the board. For more information, get in touch!

How Esports Is Challenging Traditional Sports Broadcasting

Esports, or Electronic Sports, is fast becoming a household name as the new star of the sports broadcasting and entertainment industry. Simply put, the term ‘eSports’ covers competitive gaming on a professional scale – with the Fortnite World Cup and the League of Legends World Championship series becoming some of the most anticipated events set to take place in 2020. In July of 2019, the Fortnite World Cup took place in a sold-out Arthur Ashe stadium with well over 2 million people watching live gameplay across the world. With news of the solo tournament winner Kyle Giersdorf taking home a cool $3M, eSports was catapulted even further into the mainstream – and became impossible to ignore.

The rise of online streaming platforms such as Twitch, YouTube and Mixer have become a central component in the foundations and subsequent promotion of professional gaming tournaments on a worldwide scale. Streaming platforms have worked wonders for the eSports industry, allowing accessibility and viewer engagement on an unrestricted, global level through online features such as Stream Chat.

Stream chats allow viewers to interact with other spectators, engaging in healthy (or not-so healthy) debates. It’s one of the main points of difference between Esports broadcasting and traditional sports broadcasting, like the Premier League. When you choose to watch an eSports stream, regardless of platform, you expect to see a stream chat. There’s a potential that the Streamer will acknowledge comments in this chat live on-stream, providing gratification for the viewers who look up to them. This engagement model can prove highly addictive, and you’ll often discover communities that have been established under a creator or a specific game and fans with a strong sense of belonging that doesn’t come with most forms of traditional sports broadcasting.

Furthermore, streamers looking to ride the wave of the eSports industry face relatively little resistance in doing so. Streaming setups require nothing more than a webcam, a microphone and screen recording software. Then, there’s the matter of choosing which platform/s to stream on. Those who truly dedicate themselves to the art of eSports streaming can become Twitch Partners – receiving special recognition and promotion from Twitch, who were acquired by Amazon for $970m in 2014. Such status encourages beginners and advanced players alike to take eSports streaming seriously, building followings and gaining sponsorship opportunities along the way.

In 2020, we can expect to see eSports breaking down even more boundaries. Newzoo predicts that global eSports revenues will exceed the $1.6 billion mark in 2021. Merchandise, sponsorships and team salaries will all be interesting developments to follow as spectators invest more and more into the phenomenon that is eSports broadcasting. Consumers have the choice to choose between limitless catalogues of streamers, playing almost infinite types of games, on a handful of different platforms. This choice will only be expanded upon in 2020, with the potential for more platforms and more games incorporating eSports elements into their development processes. With the PS5 and Xbox X scheduled to drop this year, how do you think the new generation of consoles will affect eSports?

Going Remote: Remote Production, Playout and Broadcasting

It’s true – traditional broadcasting of live content, such as sports events, is getting more and more expensive. At least, it will be if you’re still utilising expensive outside broadcasting (OB) methods. Securing media rights is costly enough – the last thing you want is the expense of sending out a large portion of your broadcasting operation to a different country, with huge technical teams and transmission suites in tow. You need a solution that allows you to produce and playout content from a centralised broadcast location, with low latency and high reliability. With less expense, you’ll be able to focus on providing richer content to your audience. That’s where Remote Playout comes in.

Today, you’ll see more and more broadcasters adopting remote production and playout methods – lowering costs and their carbon footprint. Remote production and playout has been pioneered by large-scale broadcasters like the BBC for a good part of the last decade – but like many technological developments in our industry, it’s now an exceptionally viable option for smaller broadcasting operations. By choosing the right solution, issues such as high latency connections and poor security will have been corrected and minimised through years of advancement in the sector – meaning you can be sure of a robust and seamless production and playout experience, at a low entry cost. Whether you choose IP workflows or a cloud-based solution, you’ll benefit from years of technical progression and innovation.

Due to its cost-effective nature, remote production and playout makes it economically possible to cover a higher number of live events, increasing your long-term revenue potential. Alongside this, it’s more feasible to cover niche events (think up and coming Esports competitions and exhibitions like WePlay! and the LoL championship series) – opening up valuable supplementary avenues to enrich your content offering. When choosing a Remote Playout solution, make sure there is an emphasis on scalability – you’ll need it!

In times of hardship and global pandemics, it’s the broadcasters with remote broadcasting capabilities who will continue to produce and broadcast their content across the world with minimal disruption. More and more radio and television studios have had to close their doors due to the developing COVID-19 pandemic – but the show must go on. We’ve seen inspirational efforts to continue content production and playout from a number of our customers, and we’re proud to be providing them with the solutions and support mechanisms to ensure they will continue doing so.

One such solution is Multi Playout Manager (MPM) from PlayBox Technology. MPM allows multiple operators via a web-based interface with sufficient rights to remotely monitor and control one or multiple AirBox or Channel-in-a-Box (CIAB) channels, schedules, programmes, view media files, etc, and even make live changes to the output when needed. It can be used in a simple or complex network infrastructure complete with full redundant operation, if required by your operation. Your AirBox or CIAB solution can be linked to MPM via a web browser from one or more PCs locally, or from anywhere in the world. Get in touch for a free online demonstration, or to find out more.

Live Streaming Software in 2020

This year, live streaming is forecast to account for 82% of all internet traffic. Whether it’s Esports, a live video from your favourite Instagram influencer or a brand new product launch, live streaming is here to stay.

If you’re looking to start live streaming, you’ll want to strike the right balance between factors like price, functionality and compatibility. We’ll help to run you through some starting points when it comes to choosing live broadcasting software for the first time.

What is Live Streaming Software?

Put simply, live streaming software helps to bundle your video and audio inputs into an accessible, compressed format, ready for streaming. This is referred to as encoding, and can take place via software or hardware. Your output is then delivered to live streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube, ready to be engaged with by your audience.

Live streaming software has evolved considerably over the last decade. The most basic form of streaming software covers the aforementioned encoding process – the practice of converting your video and audio input into a suitable format for live streaming. However, more and more streamers are demanding the complete package. Solutions like AirBox can go above and beyond in giving streamers full control: facilitating intuitive graphics, effortless encoding and formatting and comprehensive production tools to enhance your streams.

What do I need to start live streaming?

In general, if you want to start live streaming at a more advanced level (as opposed to using your webcam or smartphone) there a few things that you’ll need:

  • Internet connectivity

    • This one may sound obvious, but it’s crucial that your internet connection consistently provides high performance and reliability. There’s nothing worse than buffering and crashing during a live stream, and it could cost you frustrated viewers.

  • Video and Audio sources

    • The bread and butter of your stream lies in your video and audio inputs. Your camera set up and screen recordings will form the video, whilst microphones and mixer feeds will form the audio. Quality is key here – it’s worth acquiring durable, quality cameras and microphones to achieve this, even if they are second-hand.

  • Encoding software

    • Assuming you’re not taking the hardware route, you’ll need reliable encoding software to deliver your streams to your chosen platforms. This is your live streaming software. Encoding software will bundle your real-time video and audio outputs and deliver it as a deliverable live stream.

  • Capture card

    • Capture cards are necessary when not using USB-enabled microphones and cameras for your streams. A capture card is an intermediary device that helps to capture feeds from external cameras and video game consoles, allowing them to be encoded via your chosen software and streamed.

  • Your chosen streaming platform

    • This is the provider that will make your live stream accessible to your audience. Popular choices include, but are not limited to: Twitch, Mixer, YouTube and Facebook Live. It’s always worth checking that your chosen encoding method is compatible with the streaming platform/s you want to use.

    What should I look out for when choosing live streaming software?

    First and foremost, consider your price range. Are you a first-time streamer looking to give it a go, or are you an established media organisation? Free, open source live streaming software is perfect for beginners. If you’re looking to take it up a level, expanding your price range will do wonders in regards to overall quality, functionality and the appearance of your stream.

    Compatibility is also something to look out for. Ensure that the live streaming software that you choose will cooperate with your chosen streaming platform, and won’t result in tricky ingest server issues. For the most part, popular streaming software choices will function seamlessly with mainstream streaming platforms and social networks using Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP).

    Functionality will depend largely on your price range. Taking on more advanced streaming software solutions can help to increase the cap on your input sources, which will help if you require multiple cameras and audio sources to be captured. Furthermore, you’ll want to look out for features like graphics and titling plugins and add-ons to give your stream a professional finish.

    Free trials – who doesn’t love them? It’s worth checking if the paid streaming software that you’re considering has a free trial option before you invest. A free trial period enables you to confirm compatibility and get accustomed to the user interface, so that you can be on top form when you start streaming.

    Lastly, consider the support offered by your chosen streaming software provider. Ideally, issues will be nonexistent when setting up. If problems do arise, make sure that you have access to a team of experts on a 24/7 basis – minimising your downtime and keeping your streams on track.

    Why choose PlayBox for live streaming solutions?

    AirBox Mega from PlayBox supports a huge range of video and audio formats, and has a proven track record when it comes to high quality live streaming across streaming platforms. AirBox is incredibly robust, exceeding the demands of thousands of broadcasters across the world, and we’d love to take you through a demo and show AirBox in action. Feel free to book a free online demo.

    For cloud-based live streaming software that is directly accessible through your browser, check out Cosmos Energy by PlayBox Technology. Cosmos Energy represents a fast, trusted live streaming solution that can be set up in a few minutes. Find out more about Cosmos Technology.

    Livestreams & Virtual Concerts: A new age of Live Music

    Who would have thought that virtual concerts would become the norm in 2020?

    As the world adjusts to steadily lifting quarantines and social distancing measures, we wanted to take a look back at some of the initiatives that musicians and general purveyors of sound took to bring us joy and keep us entertained during testing times. Recent events have forced many industries out of their comfort zones. We have been left constantly amazed at some of the examples of innovation, flexibility and resilience displayed by industries that had to adapt – or potentially face long-lasting economic consequences.

    Virtual Concerts: no ticket required?

    The very nature of the pandemic means that thousands of people crowded together in an isolated location could quite easily spell disaster. Unfortunately, this is the most popular (and obvious) format of gigs and concerts. With tour postponements and gig cancellations disappointing fans across the world, music artists have been left to seek other ways to engage with fans and make up for lost time. A popular solution is utilising live streaming services to stream casual, informal performances directly to unlimited amounts of fans. These remote concerts are often labelled as ‘intimate’, and feature artists like John Legend and Pink performing within their home settings. Accessible streaming platforms like Facebook & Instagram Live make such impromptu performances possible with little more than a smartphone and an acoustic guitar. True, it lacks the raw atmosphere and buzz of a packed hometown arena, but it’s certainly better than nothing. Throw in a lively stream chat and you’ve got a unique experience to share with like-minded fans and communities.

    The majority of the live streamed performances of the past few months have maintained a not-for-profit, charitable ethos. Kind-hearted donations for health care workers and disadvantaged communities across the globe are the focus, and incredible amounts have been raised through kindness and solidarity. Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have hosted the majority of such events. It makes sense – the mainstream appeal and worldwide reach offered by these giants ensures that millions can easily tune in, engage and donate. Global Citizen hosted ‘One World: Together at Home’ via YouTube Live, which soared to well over $120M in donations for COVID-19 response funds and charities. YouTube Live enables secure donation transactions for fundraisers through YouTube Giving. YouTube Giving exists as an extension to the ‘Super Chats’ of the past, where audiences would tip independent streamers to receive shoutouts and directly communicate with their favourite content creators. YouTube Giving is a fantastic extension of an age-old streaming platform feature, and has great potential for the future of charitable live streaming.

    Now, the format has been taken one step further with the announcement of Global Goal: Unite for Our Future. It’s an online festival that will be remotely produced, televised and streamed to a worldwide audience, aiming to shine a light on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on marginalised communities. It’s a great cause and will feature a mixture of performances and appearances from the likes of Coldplay, Miley Cyrus and Dwayne Johnson. It’s groundbreaking new territory for live music, and will surely have a profound effect on how the music industry handles performances and tours from here on out. Will we eventually see socially-distanced concerts, or will livestream music events take centre stage for now?

    At PlayBox Technology, we work hand-in-hand with independent streamers and large streaming organisations alike to provide reliable, industry-leading streaming automation solutions at an affordable rate. Put simply, AirBox MEGA ICX and our cloud-based platform, Cosmos, provide 20,000+ content creators across the world with the power and flexibility to get high-quality, professional streams delivered directly to their target audiences. If you’d like to see what we could do for you, or just fancy a chat about our streaming and playout software solutions, feel free to get in touch!

    H.266/VVC Announced: Big Gains for 4K & 8K Streaming

    Video compression is widely regarded as an incredibly fast-moving topic. Rapid technological developments and unforeseen innovations can vastly alter the future of compression for OTT and streaming service providers, as well as hardware manufacturers. It’s a never-ending race to the top, where the prize is efficiency, quality and accessibility.

    On July 6th, the final Versatile Video Coding (VVC), or H.266 codec, was announced. The video encoding technology is designed with 4K and 8K video streaming in mind – and is slated to reduce the data requirements of streaming the standards by 50% when compared to H.265, or High-Efficiency Video Coding (HVEC).

    Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Sony and Huawei were among the tech giants who partnered with the Fraunhofer Heinrich Hertz Institute to develop and introduce the global video coding standard. Reportedly, the improved compression won’t sacrifice visual quality – the selling point of H.266 lies in the ability to maintain the visual fidelity of H.265 with half the required bitrate. Sounds perfect – especially when streaming over mobile networks – where data is valuable and efficiency is key.

    8K itself has long been an unattainable goal for your typical household. Firstly, 8K TVs will set you back a pretty penny – many households haven’t even embraced 4K televisions yet! Also, In 2019, the average UK home ISP speed peaked at 54 megabits per second (Mbps). Sounds good, but reliable 8K streaming currently requires a minimum of 80+ Mbps. With H.266, you can expect the required speed to halve – a crucial first step in improving the accessibility of 8K for everyday usage.

    Nowadays, you can’t talk about H.266 or H.265 without mentioning AV1. AOMedia’s Video 1 codec, or AV1, was introduced in 2018 as the royalty-free, open-source alternative to H.265. Since then, Netflix has adopted AV1 to perform selected Android streams. AOMedia also boasts an exceptional roster of adopters, and was founded by industry giants like Microsoft, Google and Facebook. AV1 already claims to offer 30% better compression than H.265, and the royalty-free status is a game changer – but we’re yet to see mass adoption and awareness for the codec.

    When assessing playout, broadcast and live streaming solutions, you might be wondering whether a certain codec/format is supported. Can I schedule various media file formats in one playlist? Am I limited to particular compression types? With AirBox, there’s no restrictions – our solutions are compatible with a limitless range of compression types and media containers. All compatible formats can be seamlessly integrated into your playlists and delivered effortlessly. For more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

    Streaming our way out of a pandemic

    It has been hard to imagine a life without streaming service subscriptions and binge watching in recent months. In April, it was reported that Disney Plus had already racked up a whopping 50 million subscribers in the space of 5 months. It’s not surprising – as a result of the ongoing pandemic, providers like Disney Plus, Amazon Prime and Netflix have experienced increased viewing figures, and even all-time record subscriber increases. But why? You might have already guessed – such platforms have provided a valuable escape to millions of people confined to their homes during worldwide lockdowns, acting as an entertainment lifeline to the isolated.

    What is binge watching?

    As online streaming services took off in the mid 2010’s, so too did the usage of the term ‘binge watching’. Put simply, binge watching involves viewing consecutive episodes/seasons of a show or piece of media in a short or confined timeframe. Some will race to finish a show within 24 hours of its release, whilst others may take on a more leisurely pace – with motivations for doing so ranging from pure boredom to simple peer pressure and the fear of missing out.

    Social media can play a huge part in this – the huge buzz surrounding the infamous Tiger King series that debuted on Netflix in March was helped in no small part by the likes of Twitter and Facebook. If you hadn’t already binged the series, you’d be at risk of seeing spoilers – which can ultimately ruin your viewing experience. It’s much more dangerous than your traditional, linear style of television with weekly episodes and cliffhangers.

    The concept of binge watching has long attracted split opinions from the likes of industry experts, producers and concerned family members. What was initially thought of as a harmless habit drew links to addiction and poor sleep quality amongst subscribers. It’s a method best used in moderation – see some helpful tips here – but it’s also a unique form of near-instant gratification that just wasn’t feasible with traditional television. It can open gateways to communities and fan forums and provide an interactive, exciting viewing experience.

    Back to linear?

    You may have started to see more and more shows releasing under weekly schedules on your favourite streaming platform/s. This is to be expected with licensed, up-to-date programming – and represents a method of keeping fans of particular shows subscribed, as opposed to consuming it within a weekend and cancelling your subscription shortly after. Of course, this doesn’t signal the end of binge watching – a healthy mixture between binge-able shows and linear programming seems to be the way to go to keep everyone satisfied (& subscribed).

    Q&A – Three Media

    Use simulation modelling to advance and optimise your operation, maximise efficiencies and create new opportunities

    Businesses in any vertical markets are based on tangibles. R&D, investment, cashflow, production workflows, company management, staff skills and efficiency are all identifiable commercial factors needing to be balanced for the business to be run efficiently. Of course, they can be subject to any number of intangible or unpredictable factors. This means any good business leader or manager has to indulge in games of “What if?” to predict what might happen if operating conditions change. Or equipment needs upgrading. Or a global pandemic strikes.

    But how do those in the decision-making process know that simulation modelling is the right fit for their business? Debra Slater, Managing Director at Three Media, and an expert in the field of simulation modelling and optimisation, addresses the most commonly asked questions.

    • Why does a media business need to consider a modelling tool to manage the “What if” scenarios?

    Debra: For most methodologies coming to a logical conclusion as to what may happen will at best list various possible scenarios, document the assumptions and then try and model them in Excel. At worst it is an “educated finger in the air”. Generally, the predictions are variable, sometimes they may get close to an optimal solution, although it isn’t known if it is the most optimal, but more often than not they are wide of the mark.

    A much more efficient and accurate alternative is to utilise the latest in simulation and optimisation modelling technology. Software like our product, XEN:Pipeline, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), is able to analyse specific circumstances based on available data, to project likely outcomes and then use these predictions to provide an optimised set of parameters that will provide a guaranteed outcome.

    • Who benefits most from running a business simulation model, and how will it streamline a business?

    Debra: This kind of analytical power benefits a business in general but specifically makes life easier and more manageable for the senior executives and CxO’s who have a need not only to optimise their organisation but who are always looking to drive new initiatives and implement continuous improvement. The ability to model first and to keep adjusting and optimising prior to making significant changes or justifying investment will allow the executives to instigate an action with confidence and avoid unnecessary expenditure or turmoil.

    This technology is also beneficial to the managers running the day to day business so they can assess and predict situations relating to their work and activities. Scenarios can be modelled and impact assessed. The optimisation will generate the right solution to ensure there are no bottlenecks and there is minimal under-utilisation.

    • Can you provide some examples where this function can be applied to meet medium and long term objectives?

    Debra: There is significant benefit in modelling and optimising controlled changes such as assessing the impact of bringing in new technologies or changing workflows; what investment is needed when taking on and building a relationship with a new client, changing the roster patterns for one or more teams across an operation, financial modelling (including long-term revenue projection, payback on investment and cost breakdown analysis) and validating technical designs which can provide a competitive edge when responding to RFP’s. All of these can be addressed easily and comprehensively.

    An area that is probably most pertinent right now is to model and optimise team, department or company wide re-organisations and transformations to remain competitive and maintain sustainability.

    • Can it be applied to assist with some of the operational challenges faced on a daily basis?

    Debra: On a day to day level, sometimes hour by hour, there are many areas where this can be applied. The results will be optimised to guarantee continued compliance to the many service-level agreements (SLA’s) that exist across a content supply chain and prove there is no impact to the operation. Where this cannot be achieved it will find the least disruptive solution. Examples where this will be beneficial are when some critical kit is faulty and needs to be taken out of service, key resources are sick or a customer wants to process more content with minimal notice.

    It also solves some of the conundrums that we have all faced around managing resourcing, not just human but also technical, and that is to ensure that “slack” time is kept to a minimum.

    • How can simulated and optimised business modelling reduce the cost base and improve forecasting?

    Debra: The core principles of this function is to do just that with the added capability for a user to define what their aspirational cost base should be and what revenue levels they want to meet. The optimisation will then provide the best solution within these constraints. It is not going to be accurate to the penny but it provides informed direction significantly improving forecasting across a team, department or organisation.

    • Can modelling guide towards new business opportunities?
      Debra: It is easy to see when bottlenecks occur as the operation is noticeably impacted but it is not as easy to articulate accurately the spare capacity, either human or technical. One of the key features of the optimisation is to show where there is this spare capacity in order for this to be exploited. Opportunities can be bid for competitively with the knowledge that profits are still sustainable.

    Often new business opportunities are not rolled out as it is felt the impact to do so is not fully understood and the risk is too high. As these new initiatives and opportunities can now be modelled and optimised prior to them being implemented, this will provide the confidence for companies to drive forwards in the knowledge that the most optimal solution has been found, costs are known, and that revenue streams are well understood. The risk associated with implementation is now significantly reduced.

    • How do you build and run a model and optimise the results ?

    Debra: Building and optimising a model within XEN:Pipeline is straightforward through its intuitive user interface (UI). A model is constructed incorporating configuration parameters, which define each step in the workflow or process, and one or multiple data sets which can be legacy or near real time and extracted and manipulated in XEN:.

    Once a model is built it can be run for any given period of time in order to evaluate all possible outcomes. A run will output points of interest (POI’s), generated through AI/ML analysis, which will show where problems exist now and / or where they could occur in the future. These predictions are fed into the AI/ML optimisation functions, although users are also able to refine what they would like to optimise and apply any constraints. In addition, a full set of graphs are available across a model to provide additional insight into the overall efficiencies / inefficiencies.

    • Can a model be run many times with different parameters to come up with the most optimal solution?

    Debra: Yes, and that is how it would work in practise. The output of an optimisation can be applied back to a model, re-run over the same time period and the results compared. A model can be run and optimised multiple times, each with different parameters or constraints, in order for you to determine the best solution for the problem.

    • Can you run the optimisation in real time, so that a platform is always optimal and SLA compliant?

    Debra: This can all be achieved in near real time, where the model is run continually, with pre-defined intervals, to ensure SLA compliance. This is particularly pertinent for operations where workflows and processes are complex, there are multiple SLA’s and it is near impossible to manually predict if they will all be met. It is possible to go deep into the metrics of a record, asset or associated item as it moves through the workflow and discover why, for example, an SLA was missed. Millions of bits of data are generated and stored for each run and these provide the necessary audit trail.

    In conclusion, many claims have been made for the implementation of AI/ML in recent years but the ability to run business simulations and discover new efficiencies or create new revenue streams is among the most exciting and useful. Issues like excess or spare capacity and workflow bottlenecks can be identified and highlighted and the true cost of driving efficiencies and implementing new initiatives determined. Now more than ever, with the impact of COVID 19 only just starting to be understood, organisations need to drive change, but they also cannot afford to get it wrong. Now would be a good time to consider a different approach and consider advanced modelling, simulation and optimisation to provide that guarantee.

    ViaLite

    Experts in RF over fibre. ViaLite’s range of fibre optic links enable studio and outdoor broadcasters to transport multiple RF feeds from cameras, wireless mics and IFBs over fibre back to the production location or outside broadcast (OB) truck. The links can extend the range of the antennas that the wireless cameras use with link distances of 0-10 and up to 50 km available, while providing 99.999% reliability. ViaLite’s links also boast ultra-wide dynamic range allowing multiple signals to be transported simultaneously. Links include: C-Band (500 MHz-7.5 GHz), 100 MHz-1 GHz, DVB-T 470-900 MHz, UHF/VHF 10 MHz-1 GHz, and the Blue2 which can be setup as a dual Rx, dual Tx or Transceiver. Formats: OEM module and rack chassis card. Supporting products include: Broadcast Connection Kits, dual redundancy, SNMP for monitoring and control, outdoor enclosures. All products include a 5-year warranty as standard. ISO 9001:2015.