The convergence of digital signage and IPTV in integrated platforms

The CEO of TmediaT, Antonio Duarte, analyzes the technology offered by Vitec's EZTV platform, company of which it is a partner in Spain, that combines broadcast quality for IPTV distribution with digital signage functionalities.

For some time now, platforms that allow the distribution of content for digital signage and IPTV for various applications and environments have become popular., that include corporations, government, institutions, sport, defense,… but what features are the most outstanding on these platforms?

Digital signage applications based exclusively on software pose some drawbacks when it comes to large installations, where the delay of the signal between the different monitors is quite appreciable and an image is given, the less strange, to the audience.

On the other hand, using embedded applications on the displays themselves does not seem like a good idea, since manufacturers have different models that, when you want to extend the initial installation and even if they have the same references, are totally different products in the firmware, complicating both operation and maintenance.

Seems, therefore, it's a good idea to consider a system that avoids these drawbacks, completely decoupled the monitoring device, to leave it solely as a plug-in of the system. If in addition the environment is a sports stadium, the issue gets complicated, both for the size of the installation, as for the different use cases to which it is necessary to respond "at the stroke of a key".

Integrated platform

In this sense, Vitec EZ TV combines a fully broadcast quality for IPTV distribution with complete digital signage functionalities in an integrated platform; designed to integrate into any IT environment thanks to the available APIs and run on LAN networks, WAN or wireless.

EZ TV can be deployed quickly and is intuitive to operate and maintain for projects of any size, offering the most advanced IPTV experience with live streaming, video on demand, digital recording, customizable tile generator and appearance.

EZ TV content security and user access controls are certified by military units and TV stations for local and multi-site applications. Its digital signage module uses powerful hardware-based terminals to offer eye-catching digital content, with dynamic data and full IPTV content in high definition, all managed from a centralized server.

Combined with the series of videowall processors of EZ TV, this platform allows its users to create and manage a complete digital video experience in any building or space for any application.

IP streaming and digital signage are now well-established methodologies for the delivery of live TV content and video on demand (VOD), as well as corporate messaging and marketing content. Thanks to its modular architecture, video equipment, Corporate IT and service providers can reduce investment expenses (capex) by implementing the right feature set for your project and increasing its capabilities over time.

The platform's centralized, scalable design delivers a cutting-edge video viewing experience, dynamic and attractive digital signals, IPTV archiving and mobile streaming capabilities on any device, all without user licenses and without annual usage fees, contrary to traditional digital signage systems that require an initial investment and a return of costs that generalize high operating expenses (opex).

Flexibility in all types of environments

This platform has proven to be the most flexible IPTV solution for simple or complex environments, installed in hundreds of sites around the world and with more than 450.000 Users.

Apps include a variety of video-related use cases, as well as IP streams for a combination of providers and signal sources.

Designed to ensure a 100% uptime for an organization's critical signaling and IPTV services, EZ TV uses Vitec's video playback and security engines to deliver the lowest latency playback on any device.

Hardware-based IPTV set-top boxes and signaling endpoints cost a fraction of the price of PC-based media players, while providing an uninterrupted and secure viewing experience for the most demanding graphics and video applications. These ASIC-based set-top boxes ensure longer service life and less time spent troubleshooting.

Powerful user management engine provides operators with a visual topology view of all local and trusted domains, Ous (OU), groups and users that exist on the network.

Uses an advanced drag-and-drop interface to assign live video, recorded content and app features to groups or individual users, eliminating the need to use complex routing filters, network access lists and firewall rules to regulate access to IPTV content.

Redundancy, grouping and synchronization

In addition, has advanced capabilities, designed to help organizations and IT teams achieve a 99,999% availability of critical video services 365x24x7.

EZ TV server also monitors all user-initiated actions and content consumption, providing administrators with valuable data on content consumption, user trends, network bandwidth utilization statistics and event log for operator and/or user actions for traceability, billing or other needs.

Main modules

• EZ TV IPTV Portal: management interface for configuring IPTV services, as live TV channels, programming guides, loading VOD content, managing users and permissions, monitoring of all system components through real-time control panels and monitoring of system usage. Available as a rackmount server or as a virtual machine.
• EZ TV Browser Player: powerful and intuitive, the IPTV player device does not require any installation, providing a single window for playback of all streaming formats. Advanced experience includes user-defined mosaic grids, programming guide (EPG), viewing KLV metadata, subtitle support 608/708, personal and network DVR functions, integration with Microsoft Active Directory, with single sign-on support and AES 128/decryption 256 Bit.
• IPTV set-top-box/signaling endpoints: compact hardware devices that connect to displays and provide the TV experience for individual users or are used to display dynamic, content-rich digital signals, using an administrator-defined program. Very robust, fanless and totally silent, delivers end-to-end content security using Vitec AES encryption. Advanced features include remote management, TV control via serial connection, Poe, uncompromising playback performance, with up to two 1,080p streams/files decoded simultaneously, for an impressive combination of signage and live video.
• EZ TV Mobile Player: Vitec IPTV player for iOS and Android devices integrates with EZ TV Portal server to receive channel alignments, scheduling information and user permissions. Delivers the best mobile streaming experience, with an end-to-end delay of less than 500 Ms. for live video, support for content up to 1,080p, efficient multicast UDP TS decoding on the network and support for Vitec/DRM AES content protection, for total security of delivery of any content on any WiFi network.
• EZ TV Personal TV Middleware: state-of-the-art TV middleware software that allows users equipped with Vitec IPTV set-top boxes to interact with their TVs, tune in to live TV streams, watch local broadcasts, watch videos on demand, browse updated scheduling information, burn programs and manage content saved to the DVR.
• EZ TV VOD/NDVR Server: video-on-demand recording add-on that provides the ability to load video assets or record streaming programs on the network. Administrators and users can activate recordings based on privileges and quotas configured in the EZ TV portal. Available as a rackmount server or as a virtual machine.
• EZ TV Sign Creator: the application of digital signage creation, simple and intuitive, supporting a wide range of assets, as videos, imagery, IPTV transmissions, social elements, sports results, integration with food catering providers and multiple layers of graphics, all this together with the dynamic signaling content that will be displayed on Vitec terminal devices.
• EZ TV Signage Director: the management interface for digital signage services is a centralized web-based tool for managing digital content, create schedules for different types of events and venues, integration with third-party data sources in real time, monitoring of all installed terminals and complete logging and analysis.
• EZ TV Monitor IP: real-time monitoring and analysis of IPTV transmissions on the network. This additional capability provides in-depth analysis (365x24x7) of MPEG video streams for the detection of quality of service issues and service interruptions that could affect viewers. Identify and receive notifications about audio or video and network issues that compromise the user experience. It has real-time control panels, unlimited number of viewing players and email alerts.
• EZ TV Video Wall Processors: professional series of hardware-based video processors, modular and configurable frames with all input and output options for any video and audio source. Features powerful rendering engines and effects that ensure smooth and synchronized playback of IPTV and 365x24x7 file-based content.

Antonio Duarte

CEO of TmediaT (TransversalMediaThinking). Partner of Vitec in Spain

 

 

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