Making dynamic live video content with more flexible solutions

Innovations in live-video technology are allowing people to do more with video than previously imagined. Continued improvements in live-video products and solutions have made transmission, production, and distribution worry-free; now, flexible turnkey solutions are taking live broadcasts to the next level, providing ways to produce and distribute engaging content both reliably and cost-effectively.

Remote production is becoming a powerful tool for live broadcasts. Traditionally, production has always been on-location, requiring large crews and production trucks to be on the scene. Today, however, with IP-based technologies from companies like TVU Networks, broadcasters can leverage their existing infrastructures and produce from the comfort of their own studios, not having to change their operations or equipment in dramatic ways to make dynamic productions possible.

The ability to produce remotely opens many doors for the broadcast industry. Now that people and equipment are not tied down to any one location, multiple live-video feeds can be used to produce a single broadcast. Compared to traditional methods, using a public internet connection to achieve synchronized, multi-camera live productions is not only more affordable – it is also much more versatile. IP-based remote production puts no distance-related constraints on where live video can come from, which means footage can come from a wide variety of sources. Increased diversity of content means that live broadcasts can take on many different shapes and forms. For instance, a broadcaster taking advantage of IP-based remote production can work with more than one studio setup and produce using live footage from each of the different locations.

As live video technologies become more accessible on mobile devices, the broadcast industry can also look forward to seeing increased viewer participation in live productions. Using a data or Wi-Fi connection on a mobile smart device, any number of people can call in, send high-quality, low-latency video to the studio, and have a two-way conversation with the hosts.

These are only a few examples of the various types of content broadcasters can put out by taking advantage of remote production. If broadcasters can exercise more innovation in the way they create and use live video, they can find more ways to boost interest around their live programs.

Cloud production is also a critical component of producing this engaging content. If broadcasters want to achieve multi-camera productions and address increasing interest in creative original content, they will need to find a way to produce at a professional level without breaking the bank. Production in the cloud is much more economical than traditional methods; all it requires is access to a web browser and, again, an internet connection. Producers can switch between multiple live-video sources, make quick cuts, insert graphic overlays and more in real time, directly from a web-based user interface.

Of course, live-video technology’s ability to bring all kinds of people together at the same time does not stop at high-quality, minimal-delay transmission, and user-friendly production. At the end of the day, these stories, crafted to perfection using high-definition live video in creative ways, can only make an impact when they are shared with audiences far and wide. Thanks to solutions that leverage a standard internet connection to distribute video to multiple destinations, broadcasters can easily push their live-video content to television, the web, social media, and any CDN with a single push of a button. On top of this, distribution solutions with support for bidirectional sharing allow broadcasters to not just share their content with others, but to receive it as well.