Source thumbnails for low latency streaming.
Zixi has formed a partnership with MainConcept to integrate the Zixi SDK and the Zixi ZEN Master control plane into its Live Encoder streaming platform, a comprehensive encoding engine designed to simplify common broadcast and OTT video workflows. Using MainConcept’s Live Encoder, users can set up a live workflow to ingest, prepare and stream audio-visual content that is compatible with all types of consumer device, and capable with real-time AVC/HEVC video encoding in up to 8K 10-bit plus MPEG-H Audio.
The Live Encoder achieves both hardware and software encoding, avoiding the need to choose between high quality software and fast-performing hardware. Its efficient software and hybrid encoding balances the workload, making it unnecessary to purchase more sophisticated hardware, saving time and budget.
Integrating Zixi into the MainConcept Live Encoder will allow users to ingest and receive low latency video streams directly to Zixi’s SDVP (software-defined video platform) without requiring external conversion, saving on resources while enhancing the user experience. Ultra-low latency is a key requirement of broadcast distribution. Avoiding extra conversion points helps further reduce the latency, making workflows more efficient.
The SDVP features unique capabilities such as a proprietary hitless failover technique that creates one coherent stream out of multiple stream fragments using a DNA sequence alignment algorithm and bonded delivery. These sequence alignments are a way of arranging the sequences to identify regions of similarity that may result from functional, structural relationships between them, and may also allow a degree of automation.
Such capabilities will enable MainConcept users to deliver streams to a wider global audience at ultra-low latency with greater bandwidth efficiencies, safely and securely over the internet with dynamic FEC (forward error correction) and ARQ (automatic repeat request) combining to ensure smooth delivery over lossy networks.
With integrated Zixi protocol support, MainConcept customers gain access to performance, efficiency, security and reliability, which the SDVP was developed for. The MainConcept Live Encoder application handles the contribution and distribution stages, processing the handoff of content directly using the Zixi protocol to CDN and archival systems. The Zixi protocol compresses null packets, typical in broadcast streams, and is also video aware, removing repetitive packets to result in considerably lower bandwidth requirements on the network pipe, including a similar reduction in egress costs.
The Zixi ZEN Master control plane is also integrated to allow users to manage large-scale configurations and orchestrate, analyse, monitor and report on live video streams including MainConcept Live Encoder deployments, and the Zixi Enabled Network of customers, integrated hardware and software applications, platforms and service providers standardised on Zixi.
Frank Schoenberger, Senior Product Manager, MainConcept, noted, “With this integration, MainConcept customers will gain access to the global Zixi Enabled Network and, paired with our state-of-the-art encoding engine, can deliver ultra-low latency streams anywhere.”
Zixi’s SVP Alliances and Marketing John Wastcoat said, “This partnership extends the reach of Zixi Enabled Network and enables our joint customers to distribute and monetize their content in new ways.” zixi.com
