UK broadcaster ITN has begun to transition its on-premises workflows into the cloud with the help of Amazon Web Services (AWS) technologies in an effort to enhance remote production.
“Working with a news organization, we want internet-based consumers to be able to pick up on what we’re putting out there as quickly as possible, which isn’t always straightforward with on-premises media processing pipelines. As our equipment began showing signs of aging, we seized the opportunity to pivot and take advantage of the efficiency AWS could offer. Now, that we’ve seen what’s possible, there’s no going back,” shares ITN Cloud and Software Development Manager Nick Moores.
ITN said its implementation of AWS is also part of the company’s efforts move off-the-shelf media equipment off-premises and into a data center, in line with the company’s sustainability goals.
“Reducing our physical footprint in London to ensure more sustainable operations is a priority, and with cloud computing, we can work toward that while also breaking free from traditional, expensive circuits that forge links between sites,” Moore added. “With AWS, we can create an alternate, more cost-efficient path between sites with cloud computing.”
Moores’ team is also leveraging AWS and ITN’s GVM platform to uncover new technology integrations for remote and decentralized production applications, such as cloud-based transcoding and editing. The combination of these tools enables ITN to produce low-latency, high-quality media using software, which has opened new doors for live event productions.
“We can easily transport media across multiple destinations and bring it into AWS instances; produce shows while maintaining traditional production capabilities like switching, audio mixing, and monitoring; and transmit the signal to viewers using VoIP,” Moores explains. “It’s saved us on kit and travel costs and made the production process more durable.”
In addition to helping to reduce ITN’s physical production footprint, ITN said the cloud makes it simpler and more affordable to spin up new services on demand.
“Increasingly, we’re seeing customers ask for rapid turnaround event support, and with AWS, we’re able to deliver,” adds Moores.
Using cloud-based infrastructure, ITN has already launched several solutions for clients, including one that allows third-party clients to monitor a feed which was created in a few weeks, versus the months and extensive network capacity creating a similar on-premises solution would have required, ITN said. Making use of the AWS Marketplace, ITN’s business to-business (B2B) division also delivered a maintenance-free 24/7 video delivery service in a single day.
