Producing with a software-based platform: the future of broadcast with AMPP (Grass Valley)

Software-based workflows, enabled by platforms such as Agile Media Production Platform (AMPP) of Grass Valley, come to offer greater agility, flexibility and efficiency in the most demanding audiovisual and entertainment productions.

Media and entertainment productions have long depended on dedicated hardware solutions. Although dedicated hardware, especially cameras and to some extent video switchers, continues to prevail, many aspects of production are increasingly shifting towards solutions based on software, these are executed in COTS servers, use cloud services public or use a hybrid approach that combines both.

It is true that the cameras will always require connected hardware, but the evolution of the new generation of production systems throws operational efficiencies until now unimaginable. Regarding the catchment, these solutions can be seamlessly integrated with software-based workflows, while if we broaden our look to the rest of production processes we can discover that all of them can managed through software services.

In fact, some applications, such as content management and broadcast, they have already become standard practices that are offered through the software as a service (SaaS). As an example, the broadcast world's growing commitment to remote productions, processes facilitated by the approximation software-based. These approaches allow production teams to manage events from rooms control located in production centers, which reduces the need for transport personnel and equipment to different places.

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Flexibility, adaptation and versatility: pillars of AMPP

When you begin planning any production project, it is time to take decisions. The choice and definition of the workflow will depend on factors such as the infrastructure, budget, quality requirements and specific features of the event. Software-based productions allow adapting each production to its own characteristics in an entire exercise of elasticity, but these services must be connected or function in a unified platform with a consistent user interface.

In this regard, the Platform AMPP of Grass Valley is widely considered one of the software-based production solutions further advanced and complete. Able to meet the demands of the most demanding media and entertainment productions, in recent years it has become a fundamental technology for all types of productions, both in facilities fixed premises as in remote production applications.

AMPP offers a Exceptional flexibility and scalability, allowing production teams adapt quickly to changing conditions, scale up or down as necessary and integrate seamlessly with existing systems. This adaptability makes it suitable for both large-scale events and smaller productions.

Its versatility is demonstrated in numerous case studies that show the success of its deployment in a wide range of scenarios, including remote productions with low bandwidth. These examples provide valuable information to discover how to optimize the workflows in various environments, ensuring high quality emissions despite the infrastructure limitations.

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LegaPro: cloud-based remote production with AMPP

Las cloud-based production solutions, combined with production tools based on software, offer significant improvements in flexibility and efficiency. A good example is the production of LegaPro, the third Italian football league, by the production company NVP. In just a few weeks, NVP established a production cloud-based that enabled the production of more than 1,100 matches in a period of 10 months.

This great success illustrates how cloud technology can overcome the limitations of IP connections traditional high-performance technologies, providing scalable and cost-effective remote production solutions. In fact, LegaPro only requires a few sources It's SRT to stream to the cloud, helping to keep the IP bandwidth needed at each football stadium manageable.

As the number of signal sources increases, the bandwidth requirement will grow proportionally, which may limit usefulness in some locations; However, the use of a platform based on software like AMPP It will allow each production to be easily adapted and scaled. And, in the meantime, the production company will benefit from the operational costs provided by being able to adapt your production systems to the requirements of the always unpredictable day to day.

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RallyX: remote production with on-site processing

Traditionally, limiting IP bandwidth required a large scale deployment that required significant production and distribution costs of the signals. Platforms like AMPP offer a new alternative, as the Scandinavian company saw first-hand DMC with the production of races RallyX.

In previous editions, this racing series was produced with mobile units and large production equipment, who moved to different locations throughout northern and central Europe. Starting this year, and thanks to Grass Valley's AMPP software-based platform, the DMC team has been able to deploy a software-based production solution using COTS servers for signal processing at the filming location.

This approach allows only high-quality monitoring signal and control data to be transferred to the production centers in Stockholm and Oslo, where all users except camera operators are located. In general, Multiscreen construction can be customized according to needs and for each operating position. To the centralize signal processing in the origin, the number of signs input does not affect the necessary IP bandwidth for connection with production centers. In this way, DMC can perform remote production from a location with limited IP bandwidth while allowing the use of multiple signal sources; in particular, uncompressed, low latency camera sources.

This innovative workflow minimizes production costs and significantly reduces the environmental footprint. However, there is a slight disadvantage compared to cloud-based processing or on-site processing at the production center, as it requires more processing equipment at the event site and offers slightly reduced scalability. The advantages of some lower bandwidth requirements and lower environmental impact make this approach a compelling option for modern remote productions.

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On-premise processing, cloud processing, or a hybrid approach: advantages and disadvantages

When approaching a production, a first approach, derived from the most traditional broadcast models, would be to manage the entire production and broadcast of multiple programs using exclusively software applications in hardware local. Compared to traditional proprietary hardware solutions, this approach offers owners a few significantly lower investment costs and one greatly improved flexibility.

Taking advantage of this software-based approach, and adding the versatility and capabilities of platforms such as AMPP, those workflows that use software applications processed on-site with COTS servers They can activate additional applications as needed without incurring additional costs. It is enough that the existing hardware has sufficient capacity.

However, if hardware processing limits are exceeded, it may be necessary to install additional hardware o outsource specific functions to the cloud. This approach allows a customizable balance between the on-premise and cloud processing. Maximizing in-house processing can provide cost advantages for constant production requirements, while cloud resources can be used to manage demand peaks.

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AMPP: reimagining production with the versatility of software

Solutions based on software y microservices that they use AMPP have been used since many years and offer important advantages as to cost savings, flexibility and reduced environmental footprint, offering a wide variety of options adapted to all types of specific needs.

In the field of remote productions, solutions based on software are opening new possibilities to achieve optimal results according to the specific needs of each production. In particular, for workflows involving signal processing in COTS servers located at the venue, can prove to be an effective solution.

The existence of platforms like AMPP allow rethink the production approach. Completely different workflows based on dedicated hardware are no longer necessary. Now (and in the future) the software will have a leading role, granting a great variety of options easily adapted to specific needs, contributing flexibility and saving time, costs and headaches.

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