NAB Perspectives: LiveU’s Artman on New Multipoint Cloud and Panasonic Collaboration

At NAB LiveU has unveiled its second-generation internal and cross-organisational IP video distribution service, LiveU MultiPoint. The cloud-based MultiPoint service is integrated into the company’s unified management platform, LiveU Central, so broadcasters can share incoming live feeds simultaneously with multiple end-points over the Internet from within the same interface.

Also at NAB, Panasonic announced it is expanding its strategic collaboration with LiveU with a free firmware upgrade for its AJ-PX5000G, AJ-PX800 and AJ-PX270 series P2 HD camcorders. The upgrade will enable an integrated camera and live video uplink solution that uses the LiveU Central cloud-based management platform. The PX5000G, PX800 and PX270 camcorders will now support direct connection to the LiveU Central management platform using public networks such as 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi or wired LAN.

“The main message at NAB is that we’ve got our complete workflow together, from acquisition all the way to distribution,” said Ronen Artman, LiveU, Vice President Marketing. “I think, for the first time, with the announcement of the MultiPoint, you get your acquisition (whether it’s an LU500 or LU200) and you can now manage all the units remotely using a cloud-based management system.

“You’ve got your video from your source coming into the MCR, and you want to distribute to multiple networks. The LiveU MultiPpoint will allow you to simultaneously broadcast to 100 destinations with half-a-second delay from hop to hop. An example is, say, if you’re a CNN bureau in Los Angeles and you’re shooting something that you need to distribute to CNN bureaus worldwide,” said Artman.

“With the Panasonic announcement, you can use our cloud services to connect their cameras. So wherever you are — whether you’re a LiveU customer or not — if you are transmitting from a Panasonic camera it goes to our cloud. So not only can you ingest everything that comes from the field, the cameras are remotely controlled from our management system – iris, gain, focus, anything you need. So a single reporter can mount a Panasonic camera, stand in front of it, and remotely control the complete operation of the camera.

“We’ve got our act together right now!” exclaimed Artman. “From the field, to anywhere in the world, we’ve got it all managed, with IP-based services. That’s the main thing.

“We led the revolution of actually building this space, of inventing this bonding technology. We invented bonding technology back in 2006 and we shipped our first product in 2008. This has given us a lot of advantages over our competition,” he said. “And we’re now leading the next generation of IP distribution – we’re here!”