Over-the-air broadcasters now have the opportunity to invest in a technology that is designed to extend their on-premises infrastructure to cloud networks, and integrate advanced technologies such network path redundancy not previously available in the cloud.
It’s all deliverable via a new product from swXtch.io.
The subsidiary of technology company IEX Group Inc. has brought to market a virtual overlay network using the name cloudSwXtch.
Media and entertainment companies that want to migrate demanding media workloads to the cloud while using the same systems and processes available in dedicated broadcast networks are the key client base for swXtch.io.
As swXtch.io explains, cloudSwXtch is engineered to bring high-performance network features to cloud applications “with the touch of a button and without code changes.” The company continues, “It unlocks missing network features that customers were demanding, and that high-throughput workflows require but haven’t been able to use until now.”
Deployed as a software solution within a physical broadcast network or a customer’s cloud tenant, cloudSwXtch enables broadcasters and video service providers to merge on-premises and cloud workflows into a hybrid production process.
“This is basically a virtual switcher with a network interface card that helps broadcasters operating their studio/facility broadcast technology infrastructure in the cloud,” a company spokesperson shares with RBR+TVBR’s Weekly Tech Roundup. “Broadcasters can add features on top of it to add reliability and security and then build out the architecture from there to reach more end points. This is a novel technology, for sure. For the broadcaster who doesn’t understand how to operate their complete infrastructure in the cloud, or was previously prevented form doing so technologically, they now have a system to make it a reality.”
Brent Yates, Chief Technology Officer for swXtch.io, commented, “Limitations in cloud networking have significantly slowed the movement of standards-based broadcast production workloads to the cloud. Our cloudSwXtch technology brings on-premises features, like moving uncompressed video streams to the cloud with full hitless switching, without the need for software or code changes. Moreover, by layering the latest media network standards over the core networking capabilities of the major cloud providers, cloudSwXtch makes high-quality, resilient, high-performance media distribution a reality in the cloud.”
Microsoft Azure customers can enable cloudSwXtch features through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.
This year at IBC2022 (September 9-13, Amsterdam RAI) swXtch.io team members will demonstrate cloudSwXtch features for media and entertainment companies through a working demo at the Microsoft Azure booth (1.D25).
