Torque Video Systems Releases Pelican – A Scalable, Cost-effective Transcode Platform
Singapore, April 16, 2020 – Torque Video Systems, the global provider of innovative solutions for disaster recovery playout, broadcast monitoring and management systems, has released a scalable, cost-effective mass transcoding platform – the Torque Pelican.
The Pelican transcode platform features multi-channel overlay that facilitates superimposing custom graphics, text or RSS feeds onto live content. This is done in the compressed domain, leading to significant cost savings compared to traditional baseband graphics generators.
It also provides mass decode-encode functionality for H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC for live IP transcode (UDP/RTP/HTTP) and file-based transcode workflows. By deploying Pelican at sporting events, concerts or other live production venues, the high cost of contribution links can be lowered by encoding with high-quality HEVC before sending to the studio.
As most OTT transcode workflows are using off-the-shelf commercial servers running software encoders, it is not uncommon to see data centres with hundreds, if not thousands, of Dell or HP servers. Operating such a massive number of servers is an expensive proposition. Software encoding is a complex process requiring heavy compute and memory resources. Furthermore, even after the initial capital cost, there is ongoing power, cooling and maintenance expenses.
Danny Wilson, Founder and CEO of Torque Video Systems said, “The explosive growth in online media has resulted in an increasing demand for video transcoding to a wide range of formats and output resolutions. In order to support numerous devices and resolutions, a single content requires a dedicated encoder assigned to each output resolution. With many resolutions combined with a multitude of streams, the number of encoders can rapidly multiply out of control. Using the Pelican allows operators with FFmpeg-based workflows to immediately benefit from the increase in encoding density, while dramatically scaling back the number of servers needed.”
Pelican is available in two models: the affordable 1RU platform for cost-sensitive applications that provides up to 8 HD encoders, while the slot-based model provides user-expandability for up to 64 HD encoders, also in a 1RU space. The system offers an easy-to-use web based GUI for direct control, along with a straightforward REST API for integration into other control systems. Both models leverage the unique NetInt Codensity™ hardware codec technology, which offloads intensive operations to highly parallel VLSI compute elements.
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