Streambox Awarded 2018 TV Technology Product Innovation Award
Now in its sixth year, Future's Product Innovation Award recognizes excellence in manufacturing of products to serve the TV/pro video and radio/online audio industries. Winners are selected by a panel of professional users and evaluation criteria include innovation of concept and design, creative use of technology, price value, and suitability for use in a broadcast TV/pro video or broadcast/online radio environment.
A full list of the award winners will be posted on the TV Technology, Creative Planet/DV/VE Magazine, and Government Video websites.
There is also a digital e-guide of all the nominees, which will be made available online by the end of December.
Streambox Chroma is a high-performance, software-defined, real-time streaming solution for broadcast applications such as remote newsgathering, live news production, live event contribution, and post-production collaborative applications including live reviews, color grading, VFX creation, and editing.
With a history of innovative streaming products since 1999, Streambox has included a number of leading-edge and future-ready capabilities in the Linux-based Chroma platform.
There is a new optimized ACT-L5 codec that supports the most advanced color profiles, color spaces, color depths, and video resolutions. At a base level, Chroma offers 10-bit 4:2:2 HD video, but Chroma also works with HDR standards such as SMPTE 372 including HDR modes, Rec.709, DCI P3, Rec.2020, HDR10 PQ/HLG, and Dolby Vision. Moving up a step, Chroma works with UHD/4K and can provide up to 12-bit 4:4:4 chroma sampling, again with HDR and Wide Color Gamut support as viewers come to expect the best visual experience in the future.
For the most demanding post-production needs, Chroma brings RGB/XYZ color space at 2K and 4K DCI resolutions. Because Chroma can be configured with SDI plus HDMI output, the decoder can be set to include HDR metadata so that other software and hardware is not needed, and additional configuration and support which is not easy to manage remotely is not required.
The latest video interfaces are available as Quad link, Dual-link 12G, 6G, 3G SDI I/O and HDMI output with Rec.2020, HDR-10 metadata support.
Support of up to 16 channels and of uncompressed PCM audio with 5.1 & 7.1 surround sound makes streaming of productions that even incorporate technologies such as Dolby Atomos and DTS-X no problem.
Unique to Streambox, is the specialized low delay multi-path protocol (LDMP) that is integrated with the encoder for dynamic real-time encoding adjustments for reliable video playout over unreliable IP networks. LDMP and the encoder continuously adjusts for optimized video transport performance on WiFi, 3G, 4G, and wired public IP networks. Support for network bonding means transport has additional reliability and redundancy. LDMP provides intelligent utilization of available network paths to achieve higher rates of transport and playback with minimal 500 ms to 2-second end-to-end latency even over public internet networks at significantly lower bandwidth than other systems. Other advanced networking features include UDP unicast, broadcast, or multicast, adjustable Forward Error Correction, and correction embedded metadata. Master quality video and streaming bit rates of up to 120 Mbps enables the delivery of even cinematic quality video contribution.
Chroma can be configured to work with Streambox Cloud Services distribution to any number of designated destinations around the world maintaining high bandwidth with low latency, or set to work with a point-to-point connection, or to multiple local and/or globally placed remote decoders and players. A Chroma differentiator is that it can stream out simultaneously to network locations, websites, social media platforms simultaneously.
End-to-end strong AES encryption with a symmetric key forms a protective shield around the transport of valuable video content with no increase in stream latency.
As a software-defined platform, some capabilities can be added with a software upgrade. Chroma systems can function as just as an encoder, just a decoder, or both by how it is configured and there is an integrated software-based media player.
Chroma is easy to use taking 30 minutes or less for network setup and use for playout management. A web-based user interface with customizable presets and live video preview permits secure local or remote access.
Complete end-to-end workflows specifically tuned to the needs of broadcasters are enabled by Streambox. By using Streambox systems, the costs of covering news and other live events can be reduced by supplementing or removing existing satellite or microwave links.