Cisco Media Blueprint supports a more software-defined and cloud approach to media delivery

Cisco says it can help content and service providers to accelerate the creation, delivery and monetization of content thanks to its Media Blueprint, a portfolio of Cisco infrastructure and applications, Cisco ‘advanced services’ and validated partner applications that has been unveiled at NAB Show 2016. Based on open standards and supported by some key software providers, the portfolio will enable ‘cloud scale’ media experiences, the vendor says. The products and solutions enable video deployments across hybrid cloud environments, combining private cloud, managed services and Cisco cloud software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery.

Three new media infrastructure solutions are being highlighted in Las Vegas. There are:

IP Fabric for Media, a scalable IP networking solution optimised for broadcast media production based on Cisco Nexus switches and SDN Controllers to enable the migration from SDI to IP.

NFV Infrastructure for Media Data Center. This is a virtualized data center platform based on Cisco UCS and OpenStack with optimisations for media applications and workloads.

D9800 Network Transport Receiver. This supports a broad set of applications for primary video distribution. It is described as a next-generation platform for the secure delivery of broadcast content from a modular hardware design. 

Other solutions that make up the Cisco Media Blueprint include Infinite Video, the cloud-based solution for direct-to-consumer OTT services to multiple devices (announced at IBC last year) and VideoGuard Everywhere security, providing DRM, anti-piracy and authentication for multi-platform direct-to-consumer services.

“We have designed a media-optimised infrastructure that can help our customers deliver immersive OTT experiences rapidly and securely to multiple devices,” declares Dave Ward, CTO of Engineering, Service Provider Business, and Chief Architect at Cisco. ‘With this new approach, combining new and existing IP video and cloud solutions, we can offer seamless orchestration of video workflows from an open platform, supporting Cisco and third-party functionality.”