Rohde & Schwarz Booth 4T3-01, BroadcastAsia 2019, Suntec Singapore, 18 – 20 June: Pixel Power is showcasing its two newest, virtualizable software products, alongside its full range of creation and playout automation systems, ideal for premium services on linear, OTT and VoD. Following its acquisition by Rohde & Schwarz in November 2018, Pixel Power, which retains its individual identity, is co-exhibiting with its parent company on stand 4T3-01.
The two new software products, being seen in Asia for the first time, are CREATE, an application for building graphics templates, and StreamMaster PRODUCE, which fulfils and delivers graphics in real time, supporting multiple channels and multiple operators.
These new products add to the solution set which is based on two technology platforms from Pixel Power: StreamMaster Media Processing and Gallium Workflow Orchestration. These platforms are constructed using a flexible function-block architecture, allowing solutions to be compiled which precisely meet the needs of each individual user, while providing the optimum use of processing power for maximum efficiency.
The architecture is completely virtualizable and can be implemented in dedicated appliances in the machine room, in a corporate data centre or in the cloud. This allows rich systems right up to full premium channel playout in the cloud to be created, that precisely suit the needs of the user. It also means that they can be easily reconfigured should those needs change, for instance to add 4k or HDR Ultra HD.
“Consumers today expect to be able to see their favourite channels on air and online, in seamless quality,” said James Gilbert, CEO of Pixel Power. “That means media companies have to turn content around very quickly from linear playout to catch-up and video on demand services, adding the appropriate branding and messaging as they do so.
“The only way to do this is with a singular approach that takes the building blocks of the channels and constructs each output perfectly,” Gilbert explained. “Our virtualizable platform is the simplest route to achieve this at any scale, allowing them to define their own workflows and deliverables, and modify and update those definitions at any time.”
Pixel Power draws on a 30 year track record of broadcast specialization, delivering playout automation and graphics excellence to broadcast and media companies wordwide. Today’s Pixel Power systems draw on modules from the two core platforms, StreamMaster and Gallium, to create solutions that are not only tailored to requirements, but available with new pricing models to suit the user’s preferences for capital or operational expenditure, such as pay-as-you-use or pay-per-feature.
Gallium PLAYOUT is an integrated, sophisticated and scalable platform for scheduling, asset management and playout automation. In association with StreamMaster DELIVER, the integrated playout engine for linear and OTT channels, it provides a coherent, scalable and infinitely flexible solution for content delivery. The platform can be implemented in the machine room, in the data center or in the cloud – or in a hybrid of all three. This is achieved through the use of identical software virtual machines so the operator and consumer see no difference in quality, performance or functionality.
The same core platforms can deliver other rich functionality, including the new StreamMaster PRODUCE, the multi-channel, multi-operator virtualizable graphics creation and playout solution, and StreamMaster BRAND, a software-defined branding and graphics playout engine for 24/7 transmission. StreamMaster DELIVER is a software-defined integrated playout engine for 24/7 linear/OTT TV using dedicated COTS servers, or virtualized in a data centre or public cloud. It offers real-time master control of live feeds, real-time graphics and DVE over SDI and/or IP streams. Gallium PLAYOUT multi-channel automation is an integrated, sophisticated, scalable scheduling, asset management and automation system that provides the intelligence for complete channel playout, channel-in-a-box or enterprise-standard automated transmission. Gallium FACTORY is a file-based content packaging solution that automatically generates sophisticated clips, promos or trailers through the use of intelligent graphics templates, eliminating unrewarding and unproductive manual work.
“Solving the technical challenges our customers face in the software defined world is one of the most interesting and most exciting things we do at Pixel Power,” concluded James Gilbert. “What is really important is doing so in a way which is operationally convenient and commercially affordable. By providing feature-rich, sophisticated technology purely in software, running on COTS hardware and which is virtualizable, Pixel Power delivers solid, proven solutions.”
###
About Pixel Power, a Rohde & Schwarz Company
Pixel Power develops software-defined, virtualizable, solutions for broadcast playout, automation, master control, graphics & branding used in linear television channels, OTT and VOD. Our award-winning branding and promotions systems, graphics-enabled master control switchers and sophisticated switchable graphics production systems allow producers to deliver dynamic live and pre-recorded content for any SD, HD, 4k, mobile, online or interactive application.
Pixel Power has 30 years’ experience of engineering prowess and dedication to customer support that has made it the industry’s first choice in graphics, branding and playout. With more than 2500 installations worldwide, customers including market-leading broadcasters such as BBC, Ericsson, ITV, SWR, WDR, TV2 Norway, Danmarks Radio, TV5 Monde, CBC, Disney, Discovery, ESPN, ViaSat and Sky.
Recently acquired by Rohde & Schwarz GmbH, Pixel Power corporate headquarters are in Cambridge UK with regional offices in Grass Valley California and Dubai UAE.
Pixel Power can be contacted online at www.pixelpower.com.
Pixel Power contact:
Name: Ciaran Doran
Title: Exec VP
Email: cdoran@pixelpower.com
Tel: +44 7775 581301
PR Contact:
Name: Jennie Marwick-Evans
Company: Manor Marketing
Email: jennie@manormarketing.tv
Tel: +44 7748 636171
