Lawo introduces Home apps for 360° workflow and budget elasticity

Lawo has introduced its next-generation server-based processing platform consisting of scalable, dynamic broadcast and media production apps and microservices. The commercial scheme under which they will be made available is equally revolutionary, according to the company.

Lightning-fast and easy to spin up and configure, Lawo’s Home apps run on standard servers whether that be on-premise, in private data centres or in the public cloud – all controlled via the unified user interface of the Home management platform.

Along with the introduction of Home apps, Home’s three existing pillars – connectivity, security and management – are joined by a fourth building block – processing – that will future-proof broadcast and media operations, infusing them with flexibility and scalability. It also leaves room for hybrid setups involving both existing hardware and the new server-based app offering.

“Broadcasters and service providers no longer enjoy the luxury of purchasing ever more bespoke hardware to cover both cruise-speed and peak-time resource demand,” explained Phil Myers, Lawo chief technology officer. “Lawo’s Home apps help them avoid long idle times of costly devices that were purchased in anticipation of brief spikes and may be obsolete or outdated by the time they are required again.”

Designed for Lawo-grade processing quality in a containerised software guise, Home apps can be spun up and down instantly via Home, which conveniently preserves all settings for future use.

The first four Home apps – Multiviewer, UDX Conversion with HDR processing, Stream Transcoder and Graphic Inserter – furthermore widen the pool of functionality from which operators can choose for their productions: the Home apps platform not only supports SMPTE ST2110 and JPEG XS, but also the NDI and SRT protocols. More Home apps will follow over time.

Lawo Flex will allow customers to combine traditional purchasing possibilities of the technology with a subscription scheme that helps manage peaks in functional requirements.

“Lawo is excited to introduce an innovative commercial model that complements this technical innovation,” explained Jamie Dunn, Lawo chief commercial officer. “We understand that purchasing software functionality for applications where utilisation is continually needed makes sense from an investment perspective, but offering some commercial elasticity is very attractive for one-off larger events or requirements. For this, Lawo Flex subscriptions provide a perfect mechanism to gain access to any Lawo functionality in the ecosystem, on demand.”