PSSI Global Services, a specialist in broadcast transmission, has made another significant investment in video delivery technology, purchasing a large quantity of transmission hardware from media processing and delivery developer, Appear.
PSSI Global Services, a specialist in broadcast transmission, has made another significant investment in video delivery technology, purchasing a large quantity of transmission hardware from media processing and delivery developer, Appear.
Expanding PSSI’s IP and HEVC infrastructure, this acquisition includes multiple Appear X20 chassis, HDR HEVC encoder and decoder cards, and multiple hardware-accelerated SRT (Secure Reliable Transport) cards. PSSI has procured corresponding BISS-CA addressable encryption licenses as well, in order to set up robust, scalable content protection for secure live broadcasting.
The newly acquired Appear equipment will play a central role in supporting upcoming major live events, including the FIFA Club World Cup and FIFA World Cup. The company is also designing and engineering new multi-path field transmission kits, built around the Appear X Platform, to enhance remote production capabilities for top-level sports entertainment clients such as UFC, WWE and FOX Sports.
By using multiple paths to transfer data simultaneously, multi-path communication can improve data transmission speed and the user experience, and make networks more reliable. Making full use of network resources also improves transmission efficiency and network stability.
Adopting the BISS-CA protocol means that PSSI can manage entitlements to their content streams in real time. BISS-CA carries all entitlement credentials in-stream, and allows media rights holders to grant and revoke points of reception dynamically. This level of control is possible because BISS-CA uses a 128-bit encryption key that is changed dynamically every 10 seconds to protect content, and it also allows the cryptographic entitlements to be transported together with the live video content. BISS-CA can be used on decoders, encoders and transcoders, multiplexers and most other production equipment.
“Whether over satellite, fibre or IP, this investment in Appear technology reflects our ongoing efforts to deliver broadcast transmission solutions for the most prominent live events around the world,” said Derek Blount, CEO of PSSI. “Appear’s high-performance X Platform gives us the flexibility and scalability to meet the needs of our partners, from regional sports productions to the most complex international broadcasts.”
“One of the earliest industry pioneers to utilize the Appear X Platform in remote event contribution, PSSI’s senior engineering staff is recognized today as the foremost field experts in Appear technology,” said Ed McGivern, General Manger, North America at Appear. “The joining of PSSI's service expertise, along with Appear’s advanced compression and processing technology, is a robust combination that holds tremendous benefits for technology-forward customers in the live events industry.”
The X Platform gateway hardware for media processing – including live contribution, production and distribution – is focussed on density, low latency and high capacity. A modular 1RU platform with IP security, system redundancy and advanced compression, it can be used for efficient, high-speed networking and video processing.
X20 software was developed API-first – developing APIs that are consistent and reusable by client applications – and integrates directly with industry standards to enable smooth connections with 3rd party equipment and existing workflows. www.appear.net
