Roadmap for first video operating system from Broadcast International

The video operating system will take video in one format and translate it to another. It offers support for multiple outputs so that the same video can be re-purposed for delivery over mobile devices, cable or the Internet. Compatibility with media management systems will enable, for example, streamlined search and access of archival video for playback and repurposing.

All these functions will be developed by Broadcast International or third-party developers through open APIs published by the company.

These capabilities are critical for the exploding inventory of new and archived video content, including user-generated video, to reach consumers across a vast range of devices, networks, and distribution channels. Capabilities such as real-time transcoding are critical if video content is to become ubiquitous across all media delivery platforms.

Transcoding is necessary to deal with the complexity caused by the scores of file formats, bit rates, screen resolutions, and audio and video codecs involved in the video distribution process. For example, a single piece of video may need to be transcoded up to 100 times for the mobile and Internet distribution channels alone.

Much of the demand for video transcoding, which involves decoding and recoding digital content from one format to another, is being driven by the enormous user generated video market, led by YouTube. YouTube uploads more than 75,000 new videos every day and streams over 100 million videos daily back to users.

Broadcasters like Fox Interactive and CNN also transcode and re-purpose high volumes of videos in dozens of different formats. The highest volume video operators have to support thousands of transcode servers each to process the backlog of videos waiting to be transcoded and re-purposed.

Mobile video, content delivered over mobile networks to wireless devices, is becoming an increasingly popular option for viewers, with more than 25 million users projected by 2011, and $1bn in revenue predicted.

Advanced functionality such as media management capabilities are on the video operating system roadmap. These capabilities include meta-data tagging, and event-based search that enable the automatic retrieval of archival video based on a particular event.

In sports coverage of the Olympics broadcasters would be able to automatically retrieve appropriate archived footage when a particular country wins a medal.

For broadcast and media production facilities, media management capabilities developed specifically for high-volume, internal production environments will be supported by the video operating system. Mezzanine level applications, for example, will allow broadcasters to move production quality video around their editing facilities at low bandwidths.

It is anticipated by Broadcast International that its video operating system will take the basic principles and apply them to the enormous new markets for transcoding, video re-purposing and media management.

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