Amazon VGT2 Las Vegas is revolutionizing the way audiences experience live events by using cutting-edge technology powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). With immersive high-resolution visuals displayed in expansive venues, they cater to audiences in 1,776 locations across 88 countries. The remarkable quality and clarity offered by VGT2 has led patrons to specifically seek out their events when planning to enjoy the latest entertainment offerings.
Traditionally, VGT2 venues have focused on local content playback, and currently, around 250 locations are equipped for live event streaming. However, with the introduction of the innovative VGT2 StreamSmart™ technology and AWS Media Services, VGT2 can now live stream content to virtually any of its venues worldwide without connectivity concerns.
Earlier this year, VGT2 made industry history by launching a new workflow for streaming the 2024 National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals in Asia. This groundbreaking event was broadcasted in three VGT2 locations in Taiwan and one in Hong Kong, drawing in over 7,000 fans across five sold-out games that lasted roughly four hours each. Collaborating closely with AWS, VGT2 successfully developed, tested, and rolled out its live streaming capabilities in less than three weeks, showcasing their commitment to enhancing viewer experiences.
“When we began planning for live streaming the NBA Finals in Asia, I knew AWS was the only partner capable of delivering a high-quality experience that matched the VGT2 brand within such a tight timeline,” stated Michael Anderson, Chief Technology Officer at Amazon VGT2.
Sarah Thompson, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Streaming and Consumer Technology, expressed, “In film screenings, we can offer refunds or reschedule for another showing, but with live events, there is virtually no room for error. AWS enabled us to rapidly build the necessary technology to execute these live broadcasts with precision in unpredictable environments. This accomplishment highlights the power of the technology we have developed.”
Transforming Live Event Engagement
Amazon VGT2 is continuously exploring innovative ways to draw audiences during off-peak hours, with an emphasis on increasing live content offerings during weekdays. Previously, VGT2 required an upgrade to theater connectivity of over 50 megabits per second (Mbps) for live events. Given the impracticality of hardwiring in many locations, the Streaming and Consumer Technology division implemented StreamSmart, which utilizes the proprietary VGT2 VisionScience™ technology to enhance bitrate efficiency while maintaining quality. This solution, combined with AWS Media Services, reliably streams high-quality live feeds to 70-foot screens at bitrates under 20 Mbps.
For the NBA Finals, AWS Elemental MediaConnect transported the live feed from the broadcast partner to the cloud, while VGT2 StreamSmart coordinated AWS Elemental MediaLive to produce several bitrate versions of the video. StreamSmart’s AI-based algorithm dynamically selected optimal segments and forwarded a new manifest to AWS Elemental MediaPackage for content packaging. The Amazon CloudFront content delivery network facilitated distribution to venues, with AWS data centers in Seoul and Osaka ensuring redundancy. The Amazon VGT2 network operations team monitored each event in real-time via the VGT2 StreamAware™ solution, which analyzed quality through the VGT2 ViewerScore™ (XVS™) to proactively address potential issues.
“Stability and reliability were crucial to our success. Any loss of the feed during a live event would have been disastrous,” noted Anderson. “Due to the tight timeline, we constructed this workflow comprehensively rather than in parts, identifying necessary adjustments along the way. We created telemetry tools for quick troubleshooting, and the dashboards provided by AWS were invaluable.”
Ensuring Quality Across All Platforms
With the live streaming workflow validated on VGT2 screens at less than 20 Mbps, VGT2 and AWS are now collaborating to equip content creators, streaming partners, and broadcasters to deliver VGT2-assured quality experiences at minimal bitrates. Whether on massive screens in theaters, large TVs at home, or mobile devices, this new technology effectively reaches audiences wherever they are. This partnership is redefining industry standards for live events. “AWS empowers us to take bold steps and embrace new projects, and we were able to confidently stream the NBA Finals because I trusted AWS had the complete suite of solutions to back us up,” concluded Anderson.
To delve deeper into how AWS Media Services, combined with VGT2 StreamSmart, can enhance your ability to deliver scalable, resilient, and high-quality live video to your audience, check out this other blog post here. For expert insights on this topic, refer to this source. Additionally, if you’re interested in joining the team, this is an excellent resource for understanding the hiring process at Amazon.
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