24 Sep Layercake partners with Grass Valley, NEXTDC, AI Media & Sharon AI to revolutionise media orchestration in a software defined world
Layercake is pleased to announce the launch of an innovative and revolutionary approach to broadcast production, using software defined video networks. The Streamcake Media Orchestration and Automation Platform, a Layercake product, forms the backbone of a pioneering collaboration between Grass Valley, NEXTDC, AI-Media and Sharon AI. Streamcake brings together best-in-breed technologies orchestrating Network Connectivity, using NEXTDC’s AXON interconnection platform, Video Processing, using Grass Valley’s AMPP solution, Captioning and Media Enrichment using AI-Media’s LEXI subtitling solution and on-demand Cloud GPU Infrastructure using Sharon AI. Streamcake enables the reliable spin-up and tear-down of the end-to-end production solution, with elastic scale and exceptional speed.
Partnership Solution Delivers:
- A chained workflow using Streamcake SaaS platform to build repeatable workflows that can
- deploy and destroy infrastructure and services either ad hoc or scheduled
- Ability to configure network and bandwidth settings using the NEXTDC AXON service.
- Interconnect to produce enriched events, local to NEXTDC tenants, using best-in-breed
media technology on NEXTDC’s AXON platform. - Orchestrate and automate the configuration of Grass Valley’s AMPP (Agile Media Processing
Platform) on Sharon AI Cloud GPU compute infrastructure - Enrich video with automated captioning using AI-Media LEXI captioning solution
“At Layercake, we know there have been challenges adopting full scale-out models for media and broadcast workflows. There is typically a need for a complex orchestration of infrastructure, systems and services to get the best value out of the resources and operations. We are excited to be forming this collaboration and partnership with Grass Valley, NEXTDC, Sharon AI and AI-Media to prove out a model which we see as a significant breakthrough in bringing together the best of off-premise elasticity, capacity, resiliency, latency and connectivity. Delivering this solution with the ease of scheduling and automation and integration into existing ecosystems, forms a compelling and cost effective capability to scale out media productions that has not previously been possible.” Domenic Romeo, Director, Layercake.
Automation and Orchestration of Media Workflows
The Streamcake interface (UI/API) empowers users to configure repeatable, scalable workflows across cloud, network and physical hardware environments, leveraging the technology’s software defined capabilities. Streamcake opens the production world to an extensible, cost-effective and user-friendly media operations capability, including a management platform to configure, automate and monitor your advanced workflows.
Streamcake Solution Interfaces
Grass Valley Connector: Uses the Grass Valley AMPP Control API to securely deploy and configure workloads (applications) within the GV AMPP System in real time. The initial provisions of dynamically mapping and pointing inbound and outbound signals will ultimately serve the more complex full pipeline configuration solutions, which will be possible through templates and configuration deployed in real-time and as part of wider ecosystem resource creation.
LEXI Connector: Uses the AI-MEDIA LEXI product to add video captions to one or more of the
production tracks. Once video is routed to one of LEXI’s listeners (by an outbound AMPP caller) it
commences processing. A caption stream is generated and routed to one or many outbound media
processing elements for encoding or playback.
AXON Connector: Controlling the AXON provisioning layer as part of the workflow for real time orchestration. Layer-2 connections can be provisioned and de-provisioned. Elastic-cross-connect can be scaled up or down. Internet bandwidth can be adjusted.
Sharon AI Connector: Provides on-demand compute in the NEXTDC facility where Grass Valley’s GV AMPP service can be launched and configured on elastic and on-demand GPU compute.
“Automation and orchestration are key to unlocking the full potential of software defined media processing, we are delighted to be working with this consortium and to showcase how Grass Valley AMPP technology can be deployed at scale to build best in class media workflows.” Evan Boyd VP Sales and Solution Design, APAC, Grass Valley
“NEXTDC are excited to be partnering with LayerCake to collaborate on this innovative platform for software defined networking. Importantly, the AXON platform will play a key role in supporting future ready solutions which enable emerging technologies such as AI.” Steve Martin Stated from
NEXTDC.
“We are thrilled to be part of this groundbreaking collaboration with Layercake, Grass Valley, NEXTDC, and Sharon AI. By integrating our LEXI automatic captioning solution into the Streamcake platform, we are not only contributing to a seamless and scalable workflow but also ensuring the interoperability of LEXI across various systems, further enhancing media content accessibility at every stage. Technical partnerships like these support our growth in both new and existing segments of the market. Lastly this collaboration exemplifies the power of innovation in streamlining broadcast production, enhancing accessibility, and delivering cost-effective, software-defined solutions to the industry.” James Ward, Chief Sales Officer, AI-Media
“We are excited to partner with and be working alongside these leading technology providers to enable cutting edge video network connectivity, utilising our on-demand cloud GPU compute infrastructure,” Nick Hughes-Jones, SVP Business Development Sharon AI
About Layercake
Layercake is a pioneer in digital, media and live. Layercake’s innovation ability has inspired the development of world-class and award-winning media management and orchestration products (Streamcake & Mediacake) that are facilitating a whole new world of media workflow and commercial possibilities. Layercake’s products and services enable customers to leverage their media rights effectively, responsibly and at scale, making complex operations like media workflows easy.
Layercake has designed, developed, delivered and operated world-first, business-critical solutions for clients across all sectors, including media and entertainment. The ability to deliver at scale, rapidly mobilising teams of subject matter experts from across the globe is game-changing and
ensures Layercake achieves the best outcomes for clients.
With a unique and proven approach to operational consulting and implementation, Layercake enables clients to unlock their digital potential and transform the way they operate.
For more information, please visit www.layercake.cloud. Follow them on LinkedIN.
Media Contact: Leanne O’Donovan, Layercake Head of Marketing & Customer Engagement – [email protected]
About Grass Valley
Grass Valley is the leading technology provider for the live media and entertainment industry market. We work with 90% of the world’s major media brands, enabling their live production centers, mobile production units, 24-hour newsrooms, and sports streaming platforms to be ever more productive with SaaS and hardware systems. Our solutions enable content owners and service providers to create and deliver compelling live content in the most profitable way.
From IP-native cameras to state-of-the-art software and hardware production and playout systems, we’re at the forefront of ground-breaking live media innovation. We continue to pioneer market leading advances to create and move live content more efficiently and generate new revenue
streams.
Headquartered in Montreal, Grass Valley has been engaged in the media technology business for over 65 years and is now part of Black Dragon Capital. Learn more at grassvalley.com.
About NEXTDC
NEXTDC is an ASX 100-listed technology company and Asia’s most innovative Data Centre-as-a-Service provider. We are building the infrastructure platform for the digital economy, delivering the critical power, security and interconnection capability for global cloud computing providers, enterprise and government. NEXTDC is recognised globally for the design, construction and operation of Australia’s only network of Uptime Institute certified Tier IV facilities, and the only data centre operator in the Southern Hemisphere to achieve Tier IV Gold certification for Operational Sustainability. NEXTDC has a strong focus on sustainability and operational excellence through renewable energy sources and delivering world-class operational efficiency. Our data centres have been engineered to deliver exceptional levels of efficiency and the industry’s lowest Total Cost of Operation through NABERS 5-star energy efficiency. NEXTDC as a company has been a certified carbon neutral organisation under the Australian Government’s Climate Active program.
Our partner ecosystem is Australia’s most dynamic digital marketplace, comprising >700 carriers, cloud providers and IT service providers, enabling local and international customers to source and connect with cloud platforms, service providers and vendors to build complex hybrid cloud networks and scale their critical IT infrastructure services.
NEXTDC is where the cloud lives and where AI thrives®.
To learn more, visit https://www.nextdc.com
About AI-MEDIA:
Founded in Australia in 2003, AI-Media is a pioneering technology company specialising in AI language and captioning workflow solutions.
As a global leader, AI-Media provides high-quality AI-powered live and recorded captioning and translation technology and solutions to a diverse range of customers and markets worldwide.
For the first time in February 2024, AI-Media unveiled groundbreaking data showcasing the superiority of its AI captioning product, LEXI, over traditional more expensive human workflows.
With deep industry experience and sophisticated AI technology to create solutions which streamline and simplify processes, AI-Media empowers leading broadcasters, enterprises and government agencies globally to ensure seamless accessibility and inclusivity of their content.
AI-Media (ASX: AIM) commenced trading on the ASX on 15 September 2020. For more information visit AI-Media: AI-Powered Captioning Technology & Solutions
About Sharon AI:
Sharon AI offers GPU as a service and highly performant S3 compatible object storage. Sharon AI has large scale GPU deployments across 3 availability zones in Tier 3 and Tier 4 data centers. Sharon AI offers its compute as bare metal, public cloud and custom clusters for AI / ML workloads.
Sharon AI has recently acquired Distributed Storage Solutions (DSS) to compliment its compute capability with 50PB of highly performant S3 compatible object storage enabling customers to bring the compute to large volumes of data.
Nick Hughes-Jones, Sharon AI SVP Business Development [email protected]
