RGB Networks Aims To Change Video Industry With Pioneering Open Source Software Transcoder Initiative
‘RipCode Transcoder’ will be the video industry’s first open source professional cloud-enabled software transcoder platform
Lincoln(24 Sep 2014)
RGB Networks, the leading provider of the industry’s most scalable and unified solutions for multiscreen video delivery, has announced that it is developing an open source version of its popular TransAct Transcoder.
Called ‘Ripcode Transcoder’, after the company Ripcode, which was acquired by RGB Networks in 2010 and which originally developed TransAct, the new, cloud-enabled software transcoder will provide RGB Networks’ customers with greater control, integration and flexibility in their video delivery workflows. In a pioneering move, and harnessing the industry momentum toward developing cloud-based solutions, RGB Networks is actively welcoming operators and vendors to be part of a community of contributors to the open source project.
RGB Networks’ CloudXtream solution for nDVR and dynamic Ad Insertion for Multiscreen (AIM) environments, launched in October 2013 and built on the industry standard open source cloud operating system OpenStack, has paved the way for this latest innovation. The company intends to build on this success with RipCode, which will be an “open core” project, where the core technology from the TransAct Transcoder is being used to create the foundations of the open source project. Suitable for a variety of applications, the RipCode Transcoder will include the full feature set expected of an industrial-strength, professional transcoder, leaving customers open to select and integrate the packaging solution of their choice necessary to produce their desired Adaptive Bit Rate output formats.
“The IPTV industry has finally embraced the cloud. And, at RGB Networks, we recognize how open source projects like this can help promote the use of standard APIs which make it much easier for vendor-to-vendor integration and for video service providers to migrate to a cloud-based video delivery model,” said Andy Salo, VP of product management at RGB Networks. “We look forward to working with the open source community of other video-related open source software at this exciting time in the industry to open source the RipCode Transcoder with optimal integration and code contributions.”
The intended feature set of the open source RipCode Transcoder will include:
- Both Linear (live) and Video on Demand (VOD) transcoding
- Full cluster management, load balancing, and failover
- Linear and VOD transcoding of MPEG2, H.264, H.265, AAC, AC3, and other industry leading video and audio codecs
- File-to-File watch folders
- Full reporting and logging of events
- Commercial-grade GUI
- RESTful APIs
Unlike other open source projects, an open source transcoder is more difficult to release due to built-in professional codec licensing. RGB Networks will release RipCode Transcoder with only the codecs that can be legally used with open source software. Additionally, in order to facilitate use of the transcoder in professional environments that require licensed, third party codecs and pre/post processing filters, the RipCode transcoder will include a plug-in framework, that will allow use of best-of-breed codecs and filters. A number of vendors of such components and related technologies have expressed interest in participating in the RipCode initiative including the following:
Video Codecs (including H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC): eBrisk Video, Intel Media Server Studio, Ittiam Systems, MainConcept (A DivX company), Multicoreware, NGCodec (providing HW acceleration for H.264/AVC and H.265/HEVC), Squid Systems, Vanguard Video
Audio Codecs: Dolby Laboratories, Fraunhofer IIS Video Optimization: Beamr
“We are glad to see the support of many companies in the early stage of this open source initiative, unique in our industry” said Simone Sassoli, VP Marketing and Business development at RGB Networks. “In addition to technology vendors and solution providers, we’ve had a very positive reception from major service providers like Comcast, Charter and Rogers and we expect to announce additional key partners planning to contribute to the open source effort to help accelerate innovation and adoption.”
Luis E. Vielma Ordóñez, Chief Operating Officer of Telecable, commented: “This initiative represents a game changer for the deployment of a next generation television services. It can deliver faster time to market and substantially lower licensing and maintenance costs than other solutions. Open source software delivers comparable features and quality with greater deployment flexibility, enabling a high innovation velocity for our services.”
The release of the first version of RipCode Transcoder – 1.0 – with all the appropriate licensing is targeted for Q1 2015.