China’s first Hybrid Omnimedia Cloud

Developed around Huawei Enterprise Business Group’s guiding principle to build Business-Driven ICT Infrastructure, Huawei worked with SZMG and Sobey to create the Convergent News Center. Together, the collaboration identified the business requirements of broadcast media companies and conducted joint innovation to address these areas. Based on the Huawei Convergent Media Cloud Solution, the Convergent News Center is a hybrid omnimedia cloud that is based on a hybrid cloud infrastructure and leverages big data technology. It consists of two parts: a public cloud located outside of the TV station with low-bit-rate editing capabilities, and a private cloud within the TV station that offers high-definition and six layer video editing capabilities. The synergy between the public and private clouds significantly optimizes the content production process, which supports the omnimedia transformation of the traditional broadcast media.

The media cloud was launched at the Huawei and Sobey Omnimedia Industry Summit held in Shenzhen, China, which brings together representatives from broadcast media companies worldwide, industry-leading software providers, new media IT experts, third-party consulting firms, experts from organizations such as the China Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (CSMPTE), and industry analysts to discuss the role of the convergent media cloud in driving business success in the omnimedia era.
 

In the omnimedia era, cloud computing and big data technologies enable broadcast media companies to gather information of the location, habits, and preferred channels of their audience to provide them with customized programs at anytime, anywhere. At the event, Mr. Fu Fengchun, Chief Engineer, Shenzhen Media Group (SZMG), said, “SZMG wants to transform the broadcast media industry and move beyond the single way of media ingestion, closed production, and one-sided communication. The industry needs to embrace omnimedia convergence, co-platform production, and multi-channel distribution by using a cloud-based platform to integrate existing content resources.”

“The shift towards using an ominmedia production and broadcasting cloud platform is an upcoming trend and an area that the TV and radio media can invest in. The broadcast media needs to equip themselves with intelligent, personalized, integrated, and all-in-one omnimedia production and broadcasting capabilities through the adoption of a cloud-based platform. The platform will allow them to focus on enhancing key capabilities including content ingestion, processing, production, management and distribution, as well as other areas such as intelligent sensing, dispatching, collaboration, and security guarantee capabilities,” said Mr. Sheng Zhifan, Chief Engineer, Academy of Broadcasting Science, State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of the People’s Republic of China (SAPPRFT).

Mr. He Dabing, President, Marketing and Solution Sales, Enterprise Business Group, Huawei, said, “With a focus on exploring technological innovations around convergent media cloud platforms, Huawei has worked with our partners, Sobey and SZMG, to build the broadcast media industry’s very first hybrid omnimedia cloud production platform. The media cloud enables hybrid cloud video editing, which significantly enhances the efficiency of content production. A private cloud system within SZMG is used for high-bit-rate editing, while a public cloud platform for video editing, transcoding, and rendering outside the TV station enables journalists to collect, edit, and upload video footage anytime, anywhere. In addition, integration between public and private clouds combined with big data analytics enables better use and access to massive content assets for precise content delivery to support omnimedia transformation.