Cisco is expanding its Videoscape Virtualized Video Processing (V2P) solution to virtualise and orchestrate all functions required to produce and deliver multiscreen video. Now pay-TV operators and media companies can easily scale their video processing workflows to deliver the dozens of forms of video required for multiscreen TV.

Until now, each screen and form of video required a separate video production line, using optimised hardware, hard-wired together. Cisco V2P enables media companies and pay-TV operators to simplify overall operations by consolidating all their separate production lines into a single pool of hardware and software. V2P then ‘orchestrates’ the common pool of hardware and software to deliver each individual form of video required for each screen. Even better, creating a new workflow to deliver video in a new format or to a different device is as simple as selecting options in V2P’s orchestration interface.

Key Highlights

• Available today, V2P is built on the Cisco Evolved Services Platform (ESP) strategy, which virtualises and orchestrates multiple areas of business for media companies and service providers.

• V2P is built using the latest cloud technologies and is implemented using the Cisco Intercloud framework, which means it can run on private, public and hybrid clouds.

• Cisco’s Evolved Services Platform and V2P are open frameworks, built on ETSI standards, and promote multi-vendor solutions. V2P can orchestrate workflows consisting of both Cisco and third-party components.

• Cisco launched V2P in April, virtualising and orchestrating transcoding infrastructures. Today’s announcement extends the number of video functions virtualised and orchestrated, including capture, advertising, security, packaging, playout and content delivery, as well as encoding.

• Cisco is both deploying and trialing its new V2P services worldwide with six customers, including media companies, and satellite and pay-TV operators.

The advantages that V2P offers media companies and pay-TV operators include:

• Improved agility and service velocity: Video operators can create new video services and workflows in software at the touch of a button instead of needing to build, integrate and configure additional hardware-based “production lines.”

• Reduced costs: Creating customised production lines for individual video workflows threatens the economics of multiscreen video as the number of workflows expands. Orchestrating multiple workflows from a common pool of hardware and software reduces costs and enables ongoing expansion in the amount, and variety of multiscreen video.

• Revenue growth: V2P enables video companies to get to market faster with more options for personalised video services. This means more viewers on more devices, helping to grow revenues.

Yvette Kanouff, senior vice president and general manager, Service Provider Video Software Solutions, said that Cisco was the only company virtualising all the things you need to do to video, from the time you get the content from its owner to the time it hits the user screen. “By taking advantage of Cisco’s enormous investment in virtualisation and the cloud, we can help video companies become more agile, scale their multiscreen video operations and grow their businesses,” she explained.

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