Pronology and Haivision optimize video production for Conan O'Brien's podcast studio – rAVe [PUBS]

Pronology and Haivision optimize video production for Conan O'Brien's podcast studio

Conan O'Brien's podcast studio presents a range of shows, from the popular “Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend” to “Where Everyone Knows Your Name” with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson. With a busy filming schedule, the studio needed an efficient and secure way to record its multi-camera productions. The Hollywood-based podcast studio turned to Pronology, a developer of cutting-edge broadcast workflow solutions, and Haivision (TSX: HAI), a global leader in mission-critical real-time video networking and visual collaboration solutions, to streamline its video production workflow.

The studio uses the Pronology StreamFile Core platform to ingest its multiple camera feeds and other sources in conjunction with the Haivision Makito X4 encoder, which delivers high-quality, ultra-low latency video with secure and reliable streaming over IP. Prior to this new workflow, the studio team recorded the cameras as baseband SDI signals using on-site video recorders. With this simplified, cloud-based StreamFile Core workflow, the camera feeds are streamed and recorded directly to Amazon S3, saving production time and money as one person can efficiently manage all cameras and footage from a single, easy-to-use web interface.

“Our new workflow has allowed us to manage the feeds of our various shows reliably and effortlessly,” says Sarah Federowicz, Team Coco, VP of Operations and Chief Operating Officer. “StreamFile Core is an intuitive system that our team has no problem using. The teams at Pronology and Haivision helped us set up the video production workflow and we've been using it seamlessly ever since.”

StreamFile Core is a tool for receiving IP video streams and converting them into editor-friendly file formats. It integrates Haivision SRT as well as other IP video protocols such as NDI and SMTPE ST 2110. It can create and share multiviews of live streams, allowing production staff to view different camera angles through a standard secure web browser. Users can view multiple camera angles in real time or return for review using DVR functionality. It also has a shot list player that allows production teams to crop multiple camera angles with timecode frame accuracy. This feature works well for social media and other teams that need access to VOD media from live environments.

The Haivision Makito X4 encoder delivers pristine, low-latency video quality over IP networks, including SRT, for secure and reliable streaming to on-site or cloud productions. Encoding in resolutions up to 4K UHD or up to four simultaneous HD sources, with support for HEVC and H.264 codecs, it is ideal for live broadcast contributions and mission-critical video, especially in applications where high image quality is essential. It offers the quality, security and reliability required for even the most demanding live video applications.

“The Makito X4 is the world's leading contribution encoder, delivering high-quality video to thousands of media and entertainment productions worldwide,” says Marcus Schioler, VP Marketing at Haivision. “Combined with the Pronology StreamFile Core solution used by Conan O'Brien's podcast studio, the Makito X4's native support for the SRT protocol makes it easy to reliably send live video to the cloud to efficiently produce great entertainment from anywhere.”

“Having the production team of an A-list celebrity like Conan and his guests praise the efficiency and simplicity of StreamFile Core is a testament to the care we put into this product,” says Jonathan Aroesty, President of Pronology. “With our years of experience in real-world production, we developed StreamFile Core to fill a gap in the production space. By enabling SRT video to be edited in industry-standard editing systems with or without transcoding, StreamFile Core helps our customers save time and money. Partnering with Haivision on this project brings even more value to the customer as our platform works seamlessly with the Makito X4, providing a comprehensive solution for Conan's podcast studio.”