TAG accelerates migration to live production in the cloud with support for JPEG XS format
TAG Video Systems’ MCM-9000 probing, monitoring and multiviewing platform now supports JPEG XS, making it the first all-IP software- and cloud-based probing and monitoring system that supports the format in the cloud.
JPEG XS provides all the benefits of uncompressed IP workflows over long-distance remote and cloud production environments without the expense and complexity of engineering and implementing an uncompressed network and cloud connectivity. Adding support for JPEG XS to the MCM-9000 platform allows customers to directly and natively monitor and view JPEG XS sources, eliminating the need to decode or convert them to other standards.
According to Kevin Joyce, TAG’s Zer0 Friction officer, integration of JPEG XS into the MCM-9000 was instigated by Fox for its cloud Media Center in Tempe, Arizona, running in AWS to enable low-latency, cloud-based playout for live workflows, and also by NBC Olympics for coverage in Tokyo. He explained, however, that support for JPEG XS appeals to a much broader audience.
“Finding a workable, effective and budget-pleasing path to production in the cloud using compression technologies is becoming a huge priority for our broadcast customers,” he said. “JPEG XS potentially reduces cloud bandwidth and network utilisation by 90% without sacrificing quality or latency. So, it was a no-brainer for us; we added support to our MCM-9000 platform, the first in a cloud monitoring platform to offer it natively. We’re also the only monitoring, probing and multiviewing solution that offers both JPEG 2000 and JPEG XS support without requiring a GPU or FPGA, which allows our customers to run in much more economical cloud instances.”
Optimised for contribution, JPEG XS allows customers to preserve their original content fidelity as they transfer content from live events between and within ST-2110 facilities and the cloud for remote production applications. While the format provides high image quality, critical in live production, its extremely low latency unlocks another key to successful remote operation and real-time switching in the cloud. Low latency combined with compression allows these high-quality signals to transit over available and economical network connections resulting in reduced costs and increased operational agility.
Added Joyce: “Flexibility is another benefit for our customers. One platform, our MCM-9000, empowers customers with the latest tools and solutions to reach remote and cloud-based production quickly and with Zero Friction, providing true scalability and economics in the cloud. This addition allows our customers to use the latest compression technologies for cloud workflows with confidence that they can probe, decode display and analyse JPEG XS sources at the input. Now, along with other compressed and uncompressed sources found in production environments, they have native support for JPEG XS signals as well.”