Company to Highlight its Adaptive Bitrate Linear Packager (ABR), Distribution and Contribution Offerings Throughout the Show
OSLO, NORWAY – Appear TV, a leading provider of next-generation high-quality video processing platforms for broadcast and streaming, will showcase a range of its hardware and software video solutions at IBC 2019 (Stand 1.C61). In addition, Appear TV will feature its low-latency Video Assisted Referee (VAR) contribution solution at the booth.
Adaptive Bitrate Linear Packager (ABR)
Today’s viewers watch content across a myriad of devices, from traditional TV to smartphones, tablets and laptops. As part of Appear TV’s OTT software portfolio, the Adaptive Bitrate Linear Packager (ABR) provides different resolutions and video streams depending on the type of device being used, while maintaining quality video. It adapts video quality to changing network conditions dynamically, providing optimal user experience according to bandwidth.
The ABR is more than a packager, it is a powerful video segmentation engine that provides high-performance storage with internal and external options, just-in-time packager/DRM engine, origin server and optional offline encoding/transcoding. The software complements an encoder to produce streamable content and can adapt to varying workflows without affecting the end user, which contributes to overall user improvement.
Updates to the X-Series Platform
Appear TV’s X-Series (X10/X20) offers the complete spectrum of encoding codecs, and helps broadcasters adopt the many benefits of an IP-centric operation in their own timeframe and with extreme simplicity. The modulator also has an RF input that can be connected to a backup transponder, which can then be routed to the main output in case of a hardware failure on the main transponder. The X10 and X20 can each output two transponders featuring switchable L-band or Intermediate Frequency (IF) with 72 Mbaud bandwidth.
In addition to the new modulator, the X-Series video solutions also feature a new hardware design, specifically for its DVB-S2x contribution demodulator, an advanced platform that supports the DVB-S2x DSNG and professional services profiles. It can demodulate four transponders from four RF inputs, with up to 64 MBaud bandwidth, while fixed-key AES-128 and BISS-descrambling are embedded into both the modulator and demodulator.
Video Assisted Referee (VAR) Low-Latency Contribution Solution
Appear TV’s X20 is ideal for VAR as it fulfills the highly demanding requirements of this application. With its unique offering of channel density and ability to combine encoding and decoding of multiple contribution formats in the same chassis, the X-Series delivers excellent quality in a redundant architecture to ensure the strongest availability of video. The need for high-quality video with low-latency is crucial for the referees to verify calls made on the field. With the X-Series, content can be sent to the referee monitors immediately following capture, allowing them to make the right call and not hold up game play.
Appear’s X20 contribution links are currently being deployed in OB vans covering top football leagues throughout Europe and Asia. A single X20 chassis encodes more than 20 signals with low latency before being encapsulated to IP and sent to the video operation room (VOR). At the reception site, the X20 system decodes the signals for further analysis. Some of these signals are then encoded in the same chassis and sent back to the OB vans. This VAR solution is also future-proofed – for UHD, SDI-over-IP and more – and can be adapted to customers’ specific needs.