Responding to the challenges of 2020, broadcasters are embracing the possibilities for cloud-enabled production TIME TO PIVOT TO CLOUD
oss Video is known for its live production solutions, ranging from production switchers and robotic camera systems to virtual studios and newsroom automation.
“So Logan McDonald created a production portal where a producer can just go to a website, log in and then view the multiviewer on a computer without having to install any software. And if they have their phone or a tablet, the system turns that into their intercom,” he explains. “I would say latency was the number-one challenge, just figuring out timings. We did a Magic: The Gathering show where the producer was in the UK and the director was in Canada. With our system, you can see a multiviewer almost anywhere in the world at half a second of latency, so they both saw the same video at about the same time.” The solution is also very scalable. Webster says that while a low-budget production can use its existing phone, laptop, lighting and cameras, RPS can also draw on the full complement of Ross Video systems and its services expertise to beef up and enable the production. This could involve shipping a Carbonite Black control panel to a remote technical director, for example, or providing a whole remote crew to produce a complete show. “We’re a production company, so we know how to produce, we know how to direct, we know what it should look like and how it should feel,” says Stephen Repass, general manager of RPS. “We’re not just selling equipment or selling a solution – we know how to use the solution in a production environment and can speak that language.” A keystone of the service is its video decoding technology and accompanying software for handling multiple video streams. A good showcase for scalability is College GameDay Live, a US
The company has been investing in cloud-based solutions for a number of years, but the Covid-19 downturn has forced the entire industry to accelerate the development and adoption of cloud solutions to support remote working. Earlier this year, Ross Production Services (RPS), the company’s in-house production services division, created a solution based on its work with esports customers, which has evolved into a remote service for all forms of live broadcast and production. RPS’s Logan McDonald worked out the coding side, including web development and app design, and Matthew Webster handled hardware and configured tools like Ross Carbonite switchers to be controlled over a VPN. The system connects the production team, crew and talent – and hardware – via a secure cloud portal, allowing familiar broadcast workflows to operate with low latency. WORKFLOW FOCUS As lockdowns began in March 2020, RPS and clients had production trucks sitting doing nothing. “We knew a truck could do a show, so how could we make it work under Covid conditions?” recalls Matthew Webster. “Producers need to have instantaneous intercoms. They also need a multiviewer, but how do they view it? Do we have to install any software on their computer, or do we need to send them a special computer?
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