Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) March 2017 Volume 34, Issue 2 | Page 33

March 2017 X-PLATFORM 33
Hong Kong ’ s TVB . com adopts a two-pronged video delivery operation for both its linear broadcast and VoD platforms , with NetApp storage technology at the heart of its origin server .

TVB . com grows its VoD library with NetApp storage solutions

Providing the content that viewers want to watch , no matter what it is , or how dated it is , has proved to be an effective video-on-demand ( VoD ) strategy for Hong Kong commercial broadcaster TVB .
On TVB . com , a subsidiary of TVB , programming from TVB channels and external sources is ingested and stored on a video server for linear broadcast and replay TV , on an origin server for VoD delivery , or both .
The origin server , said TVB . com , plays a “ big role ” in the working of its VoD service , providing the storage performance , resiliency and always-on operation to make TVB . com ’ s growing library of content to be made available ondemand to a diverse and rapidly working customer base .
Rex Ching , head of technical engineering for TVB . com , said : “ TVB . com ’ s market leadership in VoD depends on giving our subscribers a wide and ever-growing variety of content that is instantly accessible from a single platform .”
This led TVB . com to choose NetApp FAS Series storage for its origin server , as Ching explained : “ NetApp FAS storage has given us the stability , concurrent access , scalability and synchronisation capability required to satisfy that need for our customers and to differentiate us from our competition .”
Although TVB . com adopts a two-pronged video delivery operation for both its linear broadcast and VoD platforms , its online VoD service presents particular data storage challenges , the company reports .
Boasting 50 years ’ worth of TVB content , TVB . com has a VoD library of more than 400TB and counting , all stored on its origin server . Because the library continues to grow by 5 % -10 % monthly — and doubles about every nine months — TVB . com has had to constantly expand its storage while ensuring optimal performance and uptime .
Additionally , among a growing subscriber base , diverse needs present difficulties in predicting what and when any given viewer chooses to watch . To address this , TVB . com ensures that its assets can be stored indefinitely and accessed quickly , so that high-demand content can be propagated to chosen CDNs for instant delivery to viewers .
TVB . com is also looking to improve its service level agreement and protect vital data , through tripling storage capacity . The company is in the process of creating another receiving site with separate origin servers and a separate set of CDNs . As part of this , existing storage infrastructure at the main site needs to be constantly in sync with the secondary site , said TVB . com .
With these requirements in mind , TVB . com decided to implement NetApp FAS8020 storage for its origin server , partly because of its IOPS ( input / output operations per second ) performance , particularly in random I / O scenarios . Because this function supports multiple applications , TVB . com has been able to perform thousands of ingest , transcode and delivery requests concurrently .
The NetApp ONTAP storage operating system , said TVB . com , also provides “ true non-disruptive ” operations so that software can be easily upgraded , and scale-out storage nodes added as needed , without having to take the origin server cluster offline .
Another key component driving its VoD service is the NetApp ONTAP SnapMirror technology , which ensures data replication between storage sites . It automatically synchronises storage across TVB . com ’ s two sites as content is ingested .
As its VoD service continues to expand , TVB . com is convinced that NetApp will provide the support it needs to ensure reliable ingest , transcode , storage and on-demand delivery of digital video to hundreds of thousands of devices in Hong Kong .
Because its current VoD operation is built around NetApp FAS storage , TVB . com believes that it is also achieving “ perfect synergy ” between primary and secondary storage sites , and is well positioned not only for future growth , but also to provide continuous , uninterrupted service at present .

AIMS adopts IS-04 spec for IP interoperability

The Alliance for IP Media Solutions ( AIMS ) has added the IS-04 specification to its roadmap .
IS-04 , said AIMS , will bring “ critical uniformity ” to the use of video , audio and ancillary data on a network of devices , and is important in defining how IP-enabled devices can discover each other and connect compatible IP streams as part of a workflow .
IS-04 , added AIMS , also automates that process , making discovery and connection more fluid than in a conventional SDI environment .
Michaeal Cronk , chairman of AIMS , said : “ IS-04 provides the next level of interoperability beyond transporting data . By adding it to our roadmap , AIMS is not just advocating for protocols related to video , audio and data transport , but for protocols that determine how multi-vendor solutions can create seamless interoperable environments .
“ The membership agreed that a common approach to managing

Akamai provides a different perspective to remote application access

Akamai has introduced Enterprise Application Access , which is designed to provide enterprises with a new way to simplify remote and third-party application access while increasing organisations ’ security posture .
Clientless , cloud-based and incorporating technology received as part of Akamai ’ s recent acquisition of Soha Systems , a provider of cloud-based secure remote access solutions , Enterprise Application Access addresses the limitations of traditional remote access .
This is achieved by offering a new approach to providing access to applications hosted in corporate data centres or hybrid cloud environments , and provides an alternative to traditional remote and third-party access technologies such as virtual VPNs , RDP ( remote desktop protocol ) and proxies .
With Enterprise Application Access , applications are hidden from the Internet and public exposure . Its “ dial-out ” cloud architecture allows closing of all inbound firewall ports while permitting authenticated end-users to access only specific , authorised discovery and registration was important , as such an approach provides a clearly defined way for SMPTE 2022-6- and SMPTE 2110-compliant devices to find and connect to each other . This allows us to leverage the benefits of IT and networking technologies to create a more flexible and scalable solution than conventional SDI routing systems will allow .”
Formed in December 2015 and with its number of members not exceeding the 50 mark , one of AIMS ’ key goals is to develop a practical , common upgrade path from SDI to IP using the standards , recommendations and technologies that are already being studied .
IS-04 , AIMS believes , will assist in that effort by providing a defined and agreed-upon method for devices to discover , register and operate with one another as workflows change over time — whether those changes take place over years , months , days , or even hours .
applications .
Enterprise Application Access integrates data path protection , identity access , application security , and management visibility and control into a single , cloudbased service . Users can use the capabilities native to Enterprise Application Access or choose to integrate with previously deployed systems .
The service is also designed to be deployed in minutes in any network environment through a unified portal , with a single point of control .
Christina Richmond , programme director , security services at market intelligence firm IDC , said : “ Accessing enterprise applications can be cumbersome and risky where mobile first , third-party stakeholders , and lateral movement attacks are the norm .
“ A new , simple , cloud-based access approach focused on applications and identity is required to deal with the impact of the third platform . IDC identified this cloud perimeter approach early on and Akamai ’ s Enterprise Application Access is one such approach .”