Almost Live from NAB: Globecomm Reaches Out Over Any Connection

[Note: This sponsored interview was recorded at NAB 2015.]

Companies need video solutions that simply work, no matter the conditions. At NAB, Globecomm was talking about it's Tempo platform, which is as powerful and versatile as they come.

"Tempo is our media platform that basically distributes video across any network to any user," said James Brown, manager of solutions engineering for Tempo at Globecomm. "We could go across traditional satellite networks, we could go across fixed networks that are internet based, or we could go across fiber networks. The platform gives us the ability to reach every user because its browser-based on desktops, laptops, mobiles, and tablets. So it works anywhere, any time, across any network, it's the ubiquitous distribution platform."

Not only can Globecomm send video over any type of network, but users can access that video on any type of device.

"Engagement in a media platform, for us, means that we have to reach out over a distance, and to reach out and touch over a distance we provide interactivity," Brown explained. "With our platform being browser-based, we're able to reach out and touch the user wherever their point of contact is connected on the network, with a desktop, at a laptop in Starbucks, or mobile device—tablet or mobile device phone. So that mobility is apart of it. That engagement by the fact that you're connected to the network we know who you are, where you are."

Once Globecomm is connected to a user, it can provide interactive elements, such as polls, text chat, and voice chat.

To hear more about what Globecomm offers and how it drives viewer engagement, watch the full interview below.

Eric Schumacher:  I'm  Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen, editor of Streaming Media Magazine and I'm here at NAB 2015, with James Brown who's manager of Solutions Engineering for Tempo product at Globecomm. And that maybe a product that our readers aren't familiar with and we'd like to get them more familiar with it. So tell us about Tempo.

James Brown:         Well Tempo is our media platform that is basically distributes video across any network to any user. Meaning that we could go across traditional satellite networks, we could go across fixed networks that are internet based or we could go across fiber networks. The platform gives us the ability to reach every user because its browser based. On desktops, laptops, mobiles and tablets. So it works anywhere, any time, across any network, it's the ubiquitous distribution platform.

Eric Schumacher:  Okay now in addition to distributing to all of those platforms or all of those devices. Obviously you have to work very hard on the U.I. on those devices to make it usable and make the whole product easy to use. Can you tell us a little about what your doing to encourage ease-of-use for the Tempo product?

James Brown:         Well for ease-of-use it really falls into three categories, and they're all interrelated to the user experience and the user interface. First and foremost you want to go into the design to avoid confusion. A confusing U.I. pushes your users away. A second thing that we've adopted is that, you have to look at it from the standpoint that if you grandmother were going to use this—in the twenty first century is now the techno nana right?

Eric Schumacher:  Mm-hmm.

James Brown:         The techno nana has iPad, iPod you know, and what-not, it's new and improved technology right?

Eric Schumacher:  Mm-hmm.

James Brown:         You know grandma's skyping right?

Eric Schumacher:  Mm-hmm.

James Brown:         So if you do that and you get that right, then you've overcome a major hurdle in the complexity so you've not added more complexity than people would want to use. The third thing is you really need to pay attention to the fact that people go with what they know. Meaning that you can't re-train intuition. So people are already trained to tap, swipe, and pull in devices that they already have. So in our platform in our services, we use those native tap, pull, and gestures to implement the products and that makes ease-of-use that much easier.

Eric Schumacher:  Okay so in addition to a user interface that intuitive for people, what are you doing to drive user engagement?

James Brown:         Well engagement in a media platform for us, means that we have to reach out over a distance, and to reach out and touch over a distance we provide interactivity. With our platform being browser-based, we're able to reach out and touch the user wherever their point of contact is connected on the network, that on the land with a desktop, at a laptop in Starbucks, or mobile device tablet or mobile device phone. So that mobility is apart of it. That engagement by the fact that your connected to the network we know who you are, where you are. You've been authorized and authenticated and through interactivity and the connectivity of network, we're able to, in live streams offer you not just live but on-demand, so you can select things from a user guide, right? Doing that we can push polls so we can send you questions so that we know that your listening and things are doing well. We, since your connected you get to have analytics back from the field, and then we have the ability to provide interactive text chat, we can provide interactive voice chat and those things are key features in that.

            For large audiences for our enterprise platform you can do two things. You can do private chats, both text and voice to learning agents at the head in end so that people are taking your questions. So when someone says we just had this question come in, could the presenter answer this question right? Now with the voice chat what we can do we can also make that global in that voice chat can be pushed to the audience so that everyone can hear the voice from the user and that's a big deal.

Eric Schumacher:  Yeah.

James Brown:         Now with a product that we're doing now with interactivity our Fieldcaster product, which is a remote contribution product that on the backend has cloud facilities to push out live streams. You could watch the stream, you can, it's always recorded so that becomes instantaneous video on demand. But the feature that we're seeing now its, most interactive that for performance improvement you can take a stream, clip portions of the stream, make that a playlist and then send that out to a group via email or social networking. We're finding that, that clip feature is really powerful from performance enhancement, for maintenance, and various things like that. If you look into the video, here's the server, here's how to configure the server, here's the clip of the server. Oh here's the network configuration for that server, here's that clip and then you send that clip out, that's instantaneous performance improvement.

Eric Schumacher:  Right very cool, very cool. Now what about in your service model, how are you integrated in the cloud?

James Brown:         Well in the cloud we have a very powerful cloud based media platform. And that allows us to do several things. We do all the services the past, the I.S. and the platform is a service, software is a service and the infrastructure is a service. That is coupled with our traditional, on-premises physical hardware. But what we're finding is not everybody is jumping into the cloud that fast, but what they want is a hybridization of those services with something that they want in-house.

            For security reasons or what not they have to have the physical machines in their data centers so with our expertise we're able to hybridize those installations and make that possible. The thing, the other thing is about the cloud is that with a Fieldcaster product an it being, remote contribution to a cloud server, that cloud makes it so that we can, on the back end, distribute that to enterprise audiences and grow that in scale as the cloud, as needed.

Eric Schumacher:  Okay, now thinking bigger picture as streaming media evolves, where is Globecomm putting its emphasis?

James Brown:         Okay for what were doing with our powerful cloud based platform, we're looking to one, serve the future with features on that platform. But what we're seeing is that we're seeing a trend that's pivoting somewhat away from corporate communications and training, towards applications specific and application specific user cases. And those particular user cases are sensitive to areas say insurance adjustments, mining maintenance, aircraft maintenance and first responders. What we're finding is that in the insurance adjustments areas, were someone would have to walk up on a roof with a ladder putting them at risk that person won't risk because we can find through our field caster remote video services, hooking that to a drone, puts a drone at risk not a person. So for risk reduction and the accountability and a captured video that every captured video we make searchable, that high degree of search ability makes it happen faster so its reusable. So now with these features coming on board for these use cases, you've one, your proving in the platform with a hard R.O.I because there's money your saving from, insurance that your having to pay for risk assessment, right? So the hard R.O.I makes it so that your proving in the platform, but not only proving in the platform but your proving in the partner who's there to help you succeed in the future. And that's Globecomm.

Eric Schumacher:  Very cool, very cool stuff, I've been talking with James Brown from Globe Com. I'm Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen and coming to you from NAB 2015.

 

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