In 2020 we decided to replace our aging Live 2 VOD system with a new system that would hopefully fix some of the issues with the system already in place, such as missing signaling about programming, having to maintain a separate L2V origin forever and lack of frame accuracy. We wanted to create a system that would run completely automated based on our playout systems schedule, requiring no manual intervention or manual cutting. We also wanted the system to allow users to immediately play content as soon as it was broadcast, with the option to extend to “start over” functionality later. Lastly, we wanted Live 2 VOD videos to be served from our normal VOD library.

The talk covers: How we found a way to integrate with traditional broadcast systems to get highly accurate and automated VOD assets from traditional broadcast channels with systems already on place for 31 channels (8 national, 8 regional and 15 events) How we process 250 transmissions per day, of which ~40 are published to the service with a length of 5 mins to 8 hrs. How we managed to wrangle the existing playout system to provide usable SCTE-104 insertion that we could convert to SCTE-35 and later read. How we combined using a live buffer with producing VOD assets to simplify long term storage of captured VOD assets and avoid having a dedicated L2V origin while still having content available in under 1 minute. How we handle situations with sports that have a break between multiple parts. Why it is sometimes impossible to get accurate and automated markers within the reality of a broadcast world. How we had a manual handling rate of less than 1% while handling content for Wimbledon, Tour de France, several ATP tournaments, and the Handball World Championship 2021. You should pick this talk because it covers the interaction between the traditional broadcast domain and streaming services, this wasn’t really covered much in the 2020 Demuxed talks. We take a look at a challenge and a infrastructure landscape that is likely to be something many broadcasters share as they work to move focus to streaming services and internet delivery while customers continue to cable cut or cable shed. Presented at Demuxed 2021.