nxt|cloud
Keep production standards high in the sky
nxtedition is proud to launch nxt|cloud, the fully public cloud version of our groundbreaking microservices solution for broadcasters and content creators. Migrating nxtedition's ‘best of breed’ microservices to the public cloud is a natural evolution for this cutting-edge production solution.
Video, Graphics, Images & Audio Playout
The power of CasparCG, contained.
This latest development has seen nxtedition develop a fully containerised, Linux version of CasparCG, allowing them to offer exactly the same playout and graphics engine as a scalable, elastic and secure microservice in the public cloud.
Spin up channels in the cloud anytime
Each CasparCG instance contains two channels capable of playing out video (including alpha support), audio and graphics composited upon unlimited layers. Think of it as a ME bank with audio and there are two of these channels per instance, so if you need four channels you only need spin up 2 instances.
HTML5/CSS Graphics Templates
nxtedition has converted CasparCG to fully utilise javascript HTML/CSS graphic templates. These can be created in After Effects or from Singular Live and other HTML graphics providers. Using dynamic javascript API calls, dynamic live data can be displayed with additional benefit of being able to reuse the same graphics both on-air and on a website.
Channel Playout
Playout in a secure, scalable environment
By utilising the power of the virtual CasparCG engine nxtedition has the ability to combine unlimited layers of video, audio, images and HTML5 graphics onto a single output – and each instance spun up has two separate IP stream outputs.
Transcodeless Playout
If nxt|cloud determines a file can be played by the Caspar CG engine in its native format, it will just play the original file.
Remote Management
Manage and run the channel from anywhere, nxt|cloud allows full remote access and capability.
Drop In Live Anytime
Drag and drop a live feed as the next item in the rundown and go live immediately on taking the cue.
Localise and Personalise
Leveraging metadata to enable agility in the delivery of content
Virtualised playout is now commonplace in the broadcast ecosphere as it makes a lot of sense. Easier to scale, manage and measure, cloud solutions can be more reliable and secure.
The nxt|cloud solution takes a microservices approach to replace traditional physical kit, from ingest, storage and transcode – through to NRCS, prompters, automation and social media and all within a single holistic environment.
By harmonising content using the flexibility of the CasparCG engine, nxt|cloud is perfectly set up for localisation and personalisation using the proven nxtedition software provide the metadata authoring for subtitles, graphics, audio language support and passing that onto the CasparCG channel to add to the video, audio and graphic templates.
nxt|cloud can, for example, take in a single clean live sports feed as SRT, then spin up four CasparCG instances split into eight identical outputs. Each output would then receive alternate metadata for graphics templates and separate audio for the commentary. That could provide one feed delivered in eight different languages, all driven by the metadata authoring from nxtedition software.
By harmonising content using the flexibility of the CasparCG engine, nxt|cloud is perfectly set up for localisation and personalisation using the proven nxtedition software to provide the metadata authoring for subtitles, graphics, audio language support.
Watch Our 24/7 Live Channel – nxt|one – live on YouTube Now
As a provider of playout solutions we feel we should have our own playout demonstration channel. Our nxt|one channel is powered by nxt|cloud and viewable right now.
Watch Here
Schedule Planning
Planning, Planned
Built into the solution are a variety of planning tools allowing schedules to be planned & stories assigned in a calendar or agenda view. Repetitive events can be 'auto spawned' at midnight a week ahead and planning calendars are collaborative, and available for channel playout planning, live ingest schedule booking and file ingest booking.
Plan in Calendar View
Using Calendar events or 'media + duration' events, planning teams can schedule over a year ahead.
Plan in Storyboards
A playout channel can also be planned by using storyboards to receive content from ingest sources and dragging them into the playout pipeline to populate the rundown.
Disaster Recovery
Gracefully fly from ground to sky
There are advantages and disadvantages to both private cloud and public cloud. One of the aims in designing nxt|cloud was to able to offer existing and new clients an additional layer of resiliency in the event of some catastrophic event such as a power grid failure or an act of god.
Teams either on-premise or remotely continually access the main nxtedition on site server swarm, in the background nxteditions’ unique replication environment is gracefully duplicating all their planning, scripts, graphics, media content, rundowns, playout schedules and reporting up to nxt|cloud. Should there be an incident then the teams just switch directly to nxt|cloud and continue where they left off.
The Disaster Recovery solution consists of a secondary swarm deployment in public cloud, mirroring the configuration of the on premise installation. The databases will perform cross site live master to master replication which means that any metadata changes on one site will automatically be replicated on the other site. The critical hi-res files will be replicated over to cloud storage according to client specific requirements.
Stream Aquisition & Ingest
Stream in, Stream out
nxteditions streaming engine can support live ingests from RTSP, RTMP, HLS, NDI® and SRT sources. Reuters, for instance, transmits live RTMP feeds of press conferences around the world which can easily be ingested directly.
Pull Streams
Pull streams using nothing more than the stream URL and stream key. Then actiate a record of the stream to capture it right away or throw it air via a CasparCG channel.
Push Streams
Get streams from third party encoders pushed directly into nxt|cloud. Vendors such as TVU Networks, LiveU, Teradek, OBS, Mobile Viewpoint and Aviwest provide this service.
IP Streaming Support
Social Media
Social
nxt|cloud can deliver content directly to Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook directly from the UI. Upon publishing nxtedition will perform the required transcode for the platform and publish it through the API. Any comments that social media users add to the posts are synched back to nxtedition for use in graphics, etc. Say something about live
Post immediately to social
Ingest any live feed, subclip a shot and post to all social media channels before most people can even open a browser. Be fast and first with breaking stories.
Harvest social media for live
Get the audience involved by harvesting comments and tweets as metadata and respond directly to the user through the UI.
Go live without leaving the UI
nxt|cloud can start a Facebook or YouTube Live from directly inside the UI. Simply drag the TX or any live feed onto the social asset and go live in seconds
Bring social content into the show
Harvested social media comments can be sent to HTML graphic templates and used live over playout or live shows.