As media organizations embrace cloud technologies, they are discovering innovative ways to leverage these resources to enhance and diversify their broadcasting capabilities. Central to this evolution is channel origination, a crucial component of the broadcasting workflow. The swift deployment of playout engines can unlock new media opportunities for broadcasters worldwide. A cloud-based playout solution empowers media companies to scale on demand, affording them the flexibility to explore new revenue models and access untapped markets more easily than traditional satellite or other distribution methods.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers an extensive array of media-focused services that are reshaping the media landscape. At Imagine Communications, we are fully equipped to harness the power of these cloud technologies. Our experience with AWS has taught us that service over instance is fundamental, revealing hidden value within this expansive environment. By optimizing Imagine’s Versio modular playout solution on AWS, we enable broadcasters to connect with wider audiences in a secure, reliable, globally distributed setting.
Imagine’s Master Control Panel: Your Customizable Master Control UI
Modern playout systems extend beyond mere video servers; they require additional tools and features to meet contemporary broadcasting demands. Versio is a comprehensive suite designed for deployment in any architecture. Its unified codebase can be implemented on bare metal, in virtual machines, or within the public cloud. A common misconception among broadcasters is that transitioning to the cloud necessitates sacrificing features, capabilities, or reliability. Our architecture is crafted to maximize the advantages of AWS, enhancing our system’s performance.
The Versio components available for cloud deployment include:
- Versio Playout (Channel origination engine)
- Content Portal (Media Asset Management)
- Master Control Switcher (Identical to on-prem solutions)
- Master Control Panel (Tailor your own UI)
- Versio Redundancy (Playlist & control mirroring)
- Versio Automation (Scheduling and control)
These services collectively form a comprehensive broadcast playout architecture. We’re not merely transferring our software to Amazon EC2 instances; our centralized control software, Core Services, is modular and adaptable to cloud technologies.
At the core of every Versio installation is Core Services—a management layer of services, databases, and communication tools. Designed to function in a scalable clustered environment, Core Services made it easier for us to adopt AWS services, integrating them seamlessly into our architecture. For instance, by using PostgreSQL, we can utilize Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) to quickly deploy an instance of PostgreSQL that is redundant, monitored, and routinely backed up. This allows us to connect to and leverage these services without modifying our existing code. Across Core Services, AWS technologies replace what could have been an expensive lift-and-shift operation with a streamlined, AWS-optimized environment.
And this is just the beginning.
Capitalizing on AWS Innovations
Versio incorporates several AWS services to bolster Core Services with enhanced reliability, resilience, and scalability. Each additional service we integrate further strengthens our playout environment.
The Strategy: Cloud-Optimizing Versio for AWS
- Amazon EC2 – A reliable and secure foundation for our Windows and Linux applications.
- Amazon Relational Database Service (RDS) – Scalable databases that expand alongside our customers’ needs. As content libraries grow, so does the database. Elasticity and resiliency are essential.
- Elastic Load Balancer – Application and network-level balancing across all service layers, ensuring smooth operation from the HTML UI to various other resources.
- Amazon MQ – A dependable messaging service that eliminates the need for costly EC2 clusters.
- AWS Elemental MediaConvert – A service for proxy generation that allows us to free up additional EC2 instances while providing operational flexibility.
- AWS Elemental MediaConnect – Facilitates transport stream distribution to and from our VPC, enhancing connectivity with other Elemental services or external media devices.
- Amazon S3 – Serves as production and prep storage, archiving, and a centralized drop-off point for media assets and playlists.
- AWS Elemental MediaLive – Acquires and formats transport streams for global distribution, whether through traditional channels or OTT via a CDN like Amazon CloudFront.
- AWS Elemental MediaPackage – Packages content for CDN distribution.
- Amazon WorkSpaces – A valuable tool for rapidly creating master control operator desktops for playout monitoring and operations in a secure and reliable environment accessible from nearly any device.
Our efforts toward further cloud optimization include the containerization of services and channels. As AWS evolves, so does our capacity to optimize these advancements. This ongoing process is crucial for achieving success in the cloud, and we are thrilled to provide a playout solution that continually adapts to this dynamic landscape.
By utilizing AWS Media Services, we can deliver a robust and reliable “AWS air chain” that incorporates multiple levels of redundancy across our services. Coupled with our Versio Redundancy service, this creates a formidable design with numerous redundancy points from playout to air.
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