Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/668746
B r o a d c a s t e r s S h o w D a i l y M o n d a y , A p r i l 1 8 , 2 0 1 6 1 6 IMAGINE COMMUNICATIONS BRINGS END-TO-END VIDEO CAPABILITIES TO THE CLOUD Imagine Communications, empowering the media and entertainment industry through transformative innovation, announced that its market-leading play- out, live encoding and dynamic ad inser- tion solutions are now available on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. In addi- tion to providing new monetization opportunities for broadcasters, video service providers and other media com- panies, this suite of solutions offers the potential to dramatically improve the speed, efficiency and flexibility of media workflow operations by enabling secure, scalable and on-demand access via Azure. This collaboration between leaders in the media and technology industries represents the most ambitious action to date to provide broadcast-quality video origination and distribution capabilities in the public cloud. Thousands of media companies from around the world can now have instant access to market-lead- ing playout, encoding and dynamic ad insertion technology from an efficient, centralized and virtualized workflow environment made available through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace. "With more video content being managed and distributed over IP, media companies gain the benefit of network agility, flexibility and elasticity that cloud-based video capabilities offer," said Charlie Vogt, Chief Executive Officer, Imagine Communications. "Imagine has been investing in hybrid IP, software-defined and cloud-enabled solutions to future-proof today's buying decision and ensure our clients are pre- pared for the network of the future. Our collaboration with Microsoft advances the industry by providing incremental optionality for deploying our market- leading production, playout and distribu- tion solutions in Azure." The following Imagine Communications solutions are Microsoft Azure Certified and available through the Azure Marketplace. Microsoft Azure Certified solutions have passed stringent testing and compatibility requirements to operate seamlessly in Azure. Versio: The 100 percent-software, cloud-enabled Versio solution, now available in the virtualized Azure envi- ronment, offers market-leading integrat- ed channel playout capabilities, includ- ing graphics, automation and master control. This award-winning solution simplifies the creation and management of channels and enables media compa- nies to extend their brands and content with more freedom, visibility and con- trol than ever before. Versio enables channels to be developed and deployed in the cloud, with options for OTT distri- bution through the cloud and for tradi- tional distribution, including OTA, cable, satellite and IPTV. Media compa- nies can now use the combined flexibili- ty of Versio and Azure for a variety of revenue-enhancing and cost-reducing applications. SelenioFlex Live provides high- quality live encoding for high-value applications, from cloud DVR to live- event streaming to over-the-top (OTT) delivery of linear channels. With multi- format output flexibility and rich adap- tive bitrate (ABR) streaming support, SelenioFlex Live enables operators to reach audiences with superior-quality, live viewing experiences across the broadest range of devices. SelenioFlex Live in the Azure cloud provides media companies with affordable scale to match their rapidly evolving business needs, while avoiding the expense of purchasing premises-based, underuti- lized encoding and transcoding systems. xG AIM supports advanced ABR streaming to deliver hyper-targeted ads to smartphones, PCs, tablets, connected TVs and virtually any other device that receives live or on-demand video pro- gramming. The software-based xG AIM provides relevant ads in real time across various stream types, including live, VOD and cDVR, and on subscribers' preferred viewing devices. With xG AIM now available on Azure, media compa- nies can further monetize their media content globally with higher-value advertising. These solutions are the latest in an ongoing collaboration between Imagine Communications and Microsoft to bring end-to-end processing and distribution capabilities to Azure by offering Imagine Communications' software-based ad management, playout and networking and distribution products as cloud-ready, Azure Certified solutions. By moving operations to a cloud environment, media companies can real- ize an array of cost, service and perform- ance advantages: no upfront hardware investment; simple provisioning and decommissioning of resources; virtual- ization of operations; no additional data- center footprint investment; ability to use elastic capacity to support new launches or peak events; a geographical- ly dispersed platform with built-in secu- rity and reliability; media companies now have a choice of on-premises, pri- vate or public cloud or hybrid deploy- ment models for video processing and distribution. "Microsoft and Imagine Communications share the same vision of revitalizing media operations through the flexibility, scale and operational effi- ciency of cloud-based services," said Steven Guggenheimer, Corporate Vice President and Chief Evangelist, Microsoft Corporation. "Together, we are accelerating solutions for the media industry by providing broadcasters, con- tent distributors and others with the abil- ity to reduce time-to-market while mov- ing from a capital-intensive business to a pay-as-needed operational model." As part of the Azure Marketplace, Imagine Communications' software solutions are now available in 20 Azure datacenters, which serve businesses in 140 countries, including China. For more information about Versio, SelenioFlex Live, xG AIM and other solutions, visit www. imaginecommunications.com. TEKTRONIX DRIVES TRANSITION TO LIVE IP MEDIA PRODUCTIONS Tektronix, Inc., an industry-leading inno- vator of video quality monitoring solu- tions, unveiled an industry-first hybrid SDI/IP media analysis platform, Prism, that enables a smooth transition from SDI-based to IP-based infrastructure. The broadcast industry is at the beginning of a revolutionary migration to an all-IP infrastructure. However, huge investments in existing technology and workflows mean that this transition will take place in phases, creating a need for test and monitoring solutions that can provide visibility into new kinds of prob- lems and then keep things consistent for engineers and operators as they manage hybrid facilities. Prism addresses this need with its unique ability to diagnose and correlate both SDI and IP signal types and help quickly identify the root cause of the error, whether it is in the IP layer or in the content layer. "With Prism, we are providing an essential tool for broadcasters and con- tent creators that will give them the con- fidence to build out IP facilities. On top of new forms of analysis, we know a big part of our job is to help our customers leverage the existing workflows, talent, and infrastructure as they embark on these changes," said Charlie Dunn, General Manager, Video Product Line, Tektronix. "Going a step further, as a completely new software-defined analy- sis platform, Prism also represents a future-proof solution that will continue to give our customers the flexibility and insights they need well beyond the transi- tion period." Prism offers input signals identifica- tion that can quickly identify the IP streams in the Ethernet link and the con- tent in each of the streams. Various intu- itive displays help shorten the learning curve of users. Specifically, Prism provides packet interval histogram and trend graphs that help determine the root cause of packet loss. Graphical displays coupled with his- torical data help solve intermittent prob- lems quickly. Its timing display helps engineers quickly adjust the timing of the signal within a hybrid environment using PTP or black burst/tri-level sync as the reference source. As a software-defined platform, Prism can accommodate a wide range of application needs and will be continuously updated as new technolo- gies and standards emerge over time. About Tektronix Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix delivers innovative, precise and easy-to-operate test, measurement and monitoring solutions that solve problems, unlock insights and drive discovery. Tektronix has been at the forefront of the digital age for over 70 years. For more information, visit tektronix.com. THE LTO PROGRAM LAUNCHES TAPE MEDIA SHIPMENT REPORT The LTO Program Technology Provider Companies (TPCs), Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum released the total industry LTO Ultrium format tape media shipment data, announcing a record 76,000 PB (compressed) of total capacity shipped in 2015 alone, an increase of 17.8 percent over the prior year. The milestone, announced in tandem with the launch of a new report showing both 2015 and year- over-year generational data, provides a clear picture of the long-term viability and importance of tape in today's rapidly shift- ing storage environment. The report also showed more than 385,000 PB of total data capacity has been shipped since the introduction of LTO Ultrium cartridges in 2000. A petabyte (PB) equals roughly four times the amount of data contained in the Library of Congress. For an understanding of the amount of data shipped to date, multiply the amount of data in the Library of Congress by 385,000, and imagine all of that data stored on tape. The report shows significant increas- es in year-over-year total capacity shipped aided by the introduction of LTO-7 prod- ucts, which were made available to the market during the last quarter of 2015. Shipments in 2015 reflect a small decrease in media unit shipments over the prior year, which is typical as the market antic- ipates the introduction of a new genera- tion. The year-over-year unit shipments are offset by the total capacity shipped in the same period, indicating that tape usage is migrating to higher capacity LTO-6 and LTO-7 technologies. "Tape continues to serve IT profes- sionals in many industries with low cost, and secure and reliable data storage, espe- cially for longer term applications," said Jason Buffington, Principle Analyst, Data Protection at ESG. "With LTO-7 technol- ogy recently coming onto the market, we're expecting a continued use case for the technology in many industries, as well as adoption in new industries seeking ways to safely store rapidly increasing data." The reports are available on the LTO Program website at www.lto.org.