Real Life achieves broadcast quality video distribution over IP network using broadband, televisions and powerful new video streaming solution

(06 mar 2007) - Real Life Television, video production experts in the Italian B2B market, now distribute broadcast quality video over the IP network using standard televisions and vMAX, a new solution that combines a TVBLOB Media Center with TVBLOB online services. vMAX lets film, TV and video production companies achieve high quality video streaming using consumer grade broadband connections.
As part of their partnership with ANSA (the Italian news agency) for whom they supply video and multimedia services, RealLife streams video both for one-off events and for routine, ongoing feeds with less than a half hour’s notice using TVBLOB’s vMAX. Typically, a video stream requires a highly skilled technician and at least 24 hours notice to organize satellite time. Plus, last minute requests often cost more than €2,000 per day.
“Using TVBLOB, we don’t even need a technician to set it up,” said Co-founder Andrea Besana. “It only takes four button presses on the remote control to launch a high-quality live video stream.” Even more important, Besana added, these streams can be delivered over low-cost, consumer-quality broadband Internet services, without the need for expensive dedicated lines or satellite connections.
RealLife also uses vMAX to transport video from one place to another without transcoding video formats. With TVBLOB, video editors play the timeline out directly from an AVID system to a TVBLOB Media Center, streaming it in real-time to another TVBLOB Media Center at another location, where it can be immediately used. “Before we had to upload MPEG2 files to an FTP server, download them, and then transcode the received video into another format, which always resulted in a loss of quality,“ Besana said. “The streams received in real time from TVBLOB are ready to use, which both preserves image quality and saves a lot of time”.
To improve their already-close collaboration with ANSA, RealLife also uses TVBLOB systems for 24/7 video presence. The “always on” video presence provides a convenient way to stay updated on projects and has strengthened working relationships because it lets staff casually communicate using TV screens which provide a larger and more natural context.
TVBLOB’s vMAX solution enables simultaneous video compression and decompression. Professionals have a full range of settings to accommodate streaming needs, including:
• Video bitrate from 128 Kbps up to 15 Mbps
• Audio codec for MP1-L2
• Video Resolution from QCIF to Full D1, PAL and NTSC
• Full frame-rate support (25/30 fps)
• Video codec for MPEG-2, MPEG-4

vMAX is based upon the TVBLOB platform, a technology in development for over four years and finalist in the Broadband World Forum InfoVision Awards. It is a Linux-based system that is completely extensible at both application and engine development levels. In additional to real-time, bi-directional video communication, the platform enables “over the top TV” with video content publishing, Video On Demand (VOD), Digital Video Recording (DVR), timeshifting, and placeshifting. It can also integrate Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestial (DVB-T), Digital Video Broadcasting Cable (DVB-C), and other diverse services.