Pebble is well known among broadcasters for offering playout and channel management for Tier 1 channels.
At the 2024 NAB Show, however, the company took a major step forward to address the needs of the broader market with the introduction of Pebble PRIMA, a software platform equally adept at running on-prem or in the cloud. As shown at the NAB Show, PRIMA performs several key functions, including a workflow solution focused on handling file-based media, management of baseband and SMPTE ST 2110 streams and, of course, playout.
However, that’s just the beginning. Pebble aims to make PRIMA a full-featured media workflow platform by adding new capabilities over time that solve the challenge of how to both put channels on air and stream them in an affordable way without sacrificing the look and appeal viewers have become accustomed to seeing on their favorite channels.
Under development for four years, PRIMA will become “the basis of all our future technology introductions,” says Neil Maycock, chief commercial officer at Pebble.
That’s not to say the company will not continue investing in its existing products while Pebble focuses R&D resources on PRIMA, he says.
On-Prem and in the Cloud
PRIMA was designed to run on premise as well as in the cloud, which offers a special appeal for a large swath of users ranging from top broadcasters looking to launch Free Ad-Supported Television (FAST) channels and temporary channels to meet short duration needs, such as hurricane coverage, to those outside the broadcast paradigm wishing to stream directly to viewers.
One of the downsides of relying on the cloud is that costs can mount quickly. With that in mind, Pebble designed PRIMA to make sure that it was affordable to run both on-prem and in the public cloud. For instance, PRIMA software is designed to run on Linux, not Windows. That fact alone can reduce the expense of running in the cloud by half, says Maycock.
Pebble made other critical tech choices while developing PRIMA that further drive down the expense of running in the cloud, he adds.
Security represents another major concern for media organizations whether they choose on-prem workflows or those in the cloud. Recognizing security to be key, Pebble took a variety of steps beginning in the software design of PRIMA all the way through to the external interface—where APIs reside—to maintain security.
“[P]ublic cloud security has to be leading edge,” says Maycock, “and that’s what we believe we have with PRIMA.”
Maycock recently sat down with TVTech contributing editor Phil Kurz for a one-on-one interview about PRIMA. The video is available online by clicking here.
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