The NAB show opens next week in Las Vegas. It is the premier showcase for developments in the broadcast ecosystem. Amidst the product blitz are some standouts with special relevance for end-users and facility managers, including some noteworthy solutions for aggregated and lower-cost "any-screen content delivery" (clearly an influential industry trend). Here are those innovations plus some extras in AVT's List of 11 User-Friendly Products to See at NAB '11VBrick's Collaborative Desktop Solution
Enterprise IP provider, VBrick Systems, is making available the Rich Media Desktop (RMD) which lets employees throughout an enterprise to create and stream presentations that combine audio, video, images and data from their desktops. This solution for desktop video content creation can be viewed live or on-demand, and streamed to devices such as PCs, smartphones and tablets located behind the corporate firewall and over the Internet. “VBrick’s RMD democratizes the world of video desktop publishing by enabling both the novice and the professional to create the kinds of high-end presentations that usually take weeks to create and cost thousands of dollars,” said John Shaw, Chief Operating Officer, VBrick. “This ease-of-use factor, combined with the fact that users can simultaneously stream live while creating an on-demand asset for later viewing makes this product unique.” RMD will be available in early May, 2011. Visit vbrick.com
Wowza's Next Gen
Wowza will preview Wowza Media Server 3 at NAB. Server 3 is its next gen software solution providing one extensible foundation with value-added components. The key here is the aggregated approach to "any-screen delivery"—Server 3 makes adaptive bitrate streaming and time-shifted playback much more simple and cost-effective, according to the company. Content publishers, service providers, and other organizations of any size can leverage these features while offering their viewers the flexibility of viewing. Complementing the Server 3 platform is an initial set of value-added software components, Wowza Transcoder™ and Wowza Network DVR (nDVR). The Transcoder and Wowza nDVR AddOns can mix and match to provide revenue-generating services for such destinations as Flash- and Silverlight-capable computers, tablets, phones, set-top boxes, media players, and game consoles; Apple iPhone/iPad and other HLS-capable devices such as Apple TV with AirPlay and ROKU media players; and Internet-connected TVs like Samsung Smart TV- and Google TV-powered sets. Visit www.wowzamedia.com
LiveU's Enhanced LU60 Backpack
Demo LiveU’s enhanced LU60 series of video-over-cellular backpack solutions. LU60 is a bonded 3G/4G solution with RF boosting technology – even with LTE and WiMAX. Enhancements include multiple 4G LTEs , HSPA+, WiMAX and bonded 3G/4G (optimized for maximum 3G throughput when 4G isn’t available), higher bandwidth with lower delay (sub-1 sec latency), and a rich feature set, including IFB and store & forward mode. The LU60 backpack can be integrated to the world’s primary power supply standards: Anton Bauer, IDX and Sony V-Mount (per customer’s choice). Visit liveu.tv
Front Porch's Migration and Management Tools
Demo Front Porch's DIVASolutions and the Front Porch Digital SAMMA at NAB and see the how the portfolio enables users to migrate content from videotapes to the digital environment, manage content moving across multiple file-based workflows and sites seamlessly, and then market the content using Front Porch Digital's DIVApublish mpx to target automatically online communities and VoD, and DIVAframe to facilitate fast identification and access according to extensive frame-based, searchable metadata. Visit fpdigital.com
Wohler Presto Multiview Source Selector
On display at the 2011 NAB Show in booth N2524 will be Presto, Wohler's new multiview source selector that makes 16 3G/HD/SD-SDI video channels readily available for monitoring and straightforward switching via integrated OLED pushbuttons. Presto is a compact 1RU solution with 16 OLED screens, each of which serves as a switching button that displays the video stream from any source. Wohler will also share new product announcements including an overview of MADI-8, their first MADI product for outside broadcast and production applications, and a new line of captioning products. Visit wohler.com
PESA's Unified Solution
In Booth N4123, PESA will offer hands-on demonstrations of their enterprise-based control system and other unified signal management solutions for 3G-SDI Video, Distributed Audio Routing and Signal Processing. In the spotlight is the Cheetah Enterprise Audio Routing System (EARS) up to 6144X6144. Designed specifically for large venue environments, it provides a “unified” solution for audio and time code applications. The fulcrum of each distributed audio system is a 1RU Data Exchange Engine (DXE) Chassis that connects up to 24 independent I/O frames which can be stacked to serve as a centralized system; or each I/O frame can be independently located at the source several miles away by using fiber optic cabling interconnects. Each I/O frame supports up to 128 inputs or outputs for a total of 1536X1536 in only 25RU. By adding additional DXE units, systems can be populated up to 6144X6144 using four DXE chassis. Visit pesa.com
Visionary Solutions Advances IPTV Encoding
Visionary Solutions Inc (VSI) will introduce a new order fulfillment scheme that will enable the customization of AVN series encoders, providing greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness for many IP streaming applications. Firmware installed on the blades for each order gives users the flexibility to upgrade as needed, and never pay for unnecessary features. For example, a customer can choose a base model to stream 480i SD video ─ and then add modules for increased resolution (720p, 1080i, 1080p) or SMPTE 2022 forward error correction later. The company plans to make other optional feature modules available in the future. Visit vsicam.com
Haivision's Kraken Low-Latency IP Video Transcoder
Haivision will debut its Kraken Enterprise and Kraken ISR real-time low-latency transcoding solutions next week. Optimized for high-efficiency, low-latency performance, the Kraken systems are an ideal solution for demanding video delivery applications within the education, enterprise, and military markets. The Kraken is offered in two formats: Enterprise and ISR. Both models include compression format conversion, media scaling, stream encryption, stream encapsulation, and stream replication capabilities. The Kraken Enterprise tames large, volatile IP video streams, such as those typical to digital video broadcasts, converting them into IP video streams that can easily be networked and formatted to reach all authorized users, whether via set-top box, desktop, or mobile device. The Kraken ISR addresses specific challenges within the military intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) segment, offering not only low latency, but also MISP compliant metadata handling. The Kraken Enterprise enables Haivision's Furnace™ IP video system to deliver live HD digital broadcast content, which may only be available as MPEG-2 at bitrates up to 19.4 Mbps, as H.264 multicast with each stream output at the bit rate, resolution, frame rate, and other encoding parameters tuned specifically for network capacities and the receiving device capabilities. As a result, H.264 output streams tuned for set-top-boxes, desktop players, and mobile devices can, for example, be output at 6 Mbps, 2 Mbps, and 700 kbps, respectively. Visit haivision.com
NewTek's Production Solutions
NewTek will showcase myriad products such as the TriCaster TCXD850 (US$24,995, international pricing may vary) portable live production system allows you to simultaneously broadcast, live stream, project and record network-quality HD video.The TriCaster TCXD850 CS (US$5,995, international pricing may vary) is a hardware control surface for the TriCaster TCXD850 high definition (HD) portable live production system.The TriCaster Virtual Set Editor (US$995, international pricing may vary) allows TriCaster TCXD850 and TriCaster TCXD300 users to customize specially designed TriCaster VSE Sets to fit their production needs. The LightWave 10 (A full license for LightWave 10 is US$895) is designed to support the creative process, providing the artist with the ability to interact in real time with 3D content.
Digital Rapids Doubles Encoder Density
Digital Rapids will showcase its new StreamZ and StreamZHD families of studio encoding systems; StreamZHD Live ABR adaptive streaming encoder; and Flux family of video capture and pre-processing hardware. The new models combine Digital Rapids' long-standing ability to output multiple formats, resolutions and bit rates simultaneously in real time with the capability to capture and encode from two distinct sources, concurrently. Dual-channel, standard-definition StreamZ models feature SDI video input support with embedded audio. High-definition, dual-channel models of StreamZHD and StreamZHD Live ABR support HD-SDI, dual-link HD-SDI, 3G-SDI and standard-definition SDI video inputs. Real-time down-conversion of dual-link and 3G-SDI inputs leverages new facility infrastructures and allows easy repurposing of such sources without the workflow inconvenience and expense of external format converters. The new SD Flux-2200 and HD Flux-4200 boards offer similar hardware functionality in half-height, half-length PCI Express cards. Flux cards are bundled with the tightly integrated Stream LE software, allowing customers to add Digital Rapids' renowned multi-format capture, encoding, transcoding and streaming capabilities to existing PC workstations. Visit digital-rapids.com
