Appear, the global leader in media processing and delivery technology, on Tuesday announced that its X Platform now supports ultra-low latency HEVC encoding.
Targeting the mobile and fixed contribution, as well as the live compression markets, added support for ultra-low latency HEVC encoding on the same hardware unit that also supports low and normal delay means Appear’s X Platform can deliver high quality video in any application. Enabling broadcasters, telcos and production companies to deliver truly immersive live video experiences at a lower cost per channel.
Live sports broadcasting relies on low latency, high quality transmissions. The move to IP-based remote production has completely transformed how these events are captured and delivered to viewers. In modern stadiums, camera feeds are contributed using IP connectivity, over SMPTE 2110 or SMPTE 2022-6, to a central site for production or to support video assistant referee (VAR) application, drastically reducing the number of people and equipment needed on-site.
But as broadcasting resolutions move towards 4K and 8K, bandwidth availability between event-site and production facilities are still a challenge. Available bandwidth varies between locations, and for many high-value live sports events, satellite is still used as a backup for the IP network. Regardless of the move towards more bandwidth intensive video resolutions, capturing and broadcasting live event coverage with little to no delay, while maintaining high visual quality, is still essential.
Appear’s X Platform is used by broadcasters, telcos and production companies around the world for live contribution and remote production. The X Platform offers the ability to effortlessly blend encapsulation formats such as MPEG TS, ST2022-6, ST2110, Zixi and SRT with an equally impressive array of codecs and video processing functions.
Thomas Lind, Product Director at Appear
This latest update is significant for our customers because the capacity and functionality offered matches the growing trend to encode multiple services at the lowest delay point for VAR and remote production, whilst dramatically reducing the cost per channel prices. If required, the same module can be rapidly switched to other encoding modes, such as OTT encoding, or converted to become a decoder or transcoder.
