Case Study
Powering Live Cloud Production with AWS
SECTION 1
Introduction
After the success of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Virtual Live Cloud Accelerator in 2023 and its Live Newsroom in the Cloud demonstration at IBC2023, the company recently pushed the boundaries of cloud-based broadcast with real-world Live Cloud Production (LCP).
The AWS for Media and Entertainment (M&E) team set out to do something truly innovative: Create a fully cloud-based news production filmed, produced, and broadcast on-site at one of the largest events in the broadcast industry calendar, NAB Show 2024.
NAB Show is the National Association of Broadcasters’ annual trade show. With around 100,000 attendees and exhibitors from 161 countries, NAB Show is the world’s largest event for media, entertainment, and video production professionals. It has been held at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) since 1991.
NAB Show’s on-site live production, NAB Show LIVE, is a cornerstone of the event, broadcasting a live news show to attendees and a global audience throughout NAB Show. Produced and broadcast from the heart of the conference, NAB Show LIVE provides comprehensive live event coverage featuring interviews, product demonstrations, and panel highlights. It serves as a crucial marketing and engagement tool for NAB Show and is a core element of the event experience.
SECTION 2
The Vision
To illustrate the possibilities of Live Cloud Production in a real-world setting, AWS would run NAB Show LIVE as a fully cloud-based broadcast.
The entire live production would be controlled from a small control room in the AWS booth so attendees could see the workflow in action.
NAB Show LIVE would kick off each day with a one-hour news show filmed on a news desk in the West Hall lobby of the LVCC. Following the morning show, reporters would broadcast live interviews from across the conference halls. Programming would be available to watch at the AWS booth, on the NAB Show website, and on select screens throughout the LVCC.
“We decided to raise the bar and not only run the entire studio through the cloud but also build a complete production control room in the booth, operated by people who had never used a cloud environment.”
Simone D’Antone
Global Strategy Leader – Broadcast, AWS
SECTION 3
The Challenge
The main challenges in making the NAB Show LIVE broadcast a success were the limited timeframe and the technological constraints of broadcasting live from a busy convention center.
There were also the typical challenges associated with setting up a fully cloud-based production environment, such as ensuring sufficient internet connectivity and aligning the expectations and workflows of the different teams involved.
The team began constructing the solution two months before NAB Show 2024 began and, with only a couple of days available to set up on-site, had a very narrow window to prepare and test before the start of the show. There was no margin for error.
“The hardest thing about building all this broadcast infrastructure on premises is the easy part of building a newsroom in the cloud. Normally, you need network architects, engineers, infrastructure and systems people. One person built all of this in the cloud from a room in Sydney.”
Scott McCue
Broadcast Solutions Architect, AWS
SECTION 4
The Solution
Ross Video, an AWS Partner, has successfully run production infrastructure on AWS for the last six years, including for XPression and OverDrive, which would become core components of the Live Cloud Production solution at NAB Show.
The LCP solution was a comprehensive cloud-based production environment using a mix of Ross products from the Ross Production Cloud, including Graphite CPC, XPression, OverDrive, the SoftGear streaming gateway and Media I/O. “Having a complete suite from Ross, Graphite CPC, XPression, and everything else integrated with OverDrive made life easier in terms of setup, scheduling programming, and training people.” said Simone D’Antone, Global Strategy Leader – Broadcast at AWS.
The morning show was filmed using pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, with vision and audio mixing performed in the production control room in the AWS booth while a remote team worked on graphic overlays, editing, and other tasks.
Using industry standards like NDI and MOS4 meant the system could be integrated with components from other vendors, all running on AWS infrastructure in a data center 700 miles away. A significant benefit of cloud production is that tools can be installed easily beforehand. All that remained was the on-onsite setup with a small amount of equipment needed for the control booth.
The on-site production control room (the “fishbowl”) was constructed in the AWS booth using just three Intel NUCs, three Apple TVs feeding LED monitors for multiviewers, TouchDrive control panels and networking cables. Apple TVs were selected because they are small, lightweight, and can route an SRT feed effectively, making them ideal for feeding multiviewer displays without additional hardware. The entire control room was just big enough to fit the hardware and four adults to operate it.
It’s been a real partnership. The Ross team has made it very easy. They turned everything around fast, and when we had changes, they did it as if it was nothing. Nothing was a problem.”
Jamie Petrie
Sr. Solutions Architect – M&E, AWS
AWS solutions powered by Ross Video include:
- OverDrive
- Media I/O
- SoftGear Streaming Gateway
- Graphite Cloud Production Center
- XPression Graphics System
- TouchDrive TD1
- PTZ Cameras
SECTION 5
The Impact
Despite the tight schedule, the team pulled off a groundbreaking cloud-based live production, proving a live broadcast can be done entirely in the cloud without relying on traditional on-premises infrastructure.
The response from staff and show attendees was incredible. They were often in disbelief that everything was running in the cloud. There were multiple requests to “pull back the curtains“ and show attendees where the infrastructure was hidden. “People just thought it was a standard studio, so they would come up and ask, ‘Where’s the OverDrive hiding? Where are you keeping the servers?’” Jamie Petrie, Sr. Solutions Architect at AWS, commented. “I spent about ten minutes each time explaining that it was all in the cloud before they would believe it.“
The success of NAB Show LIVE showcased the speed, cost, and flexibility of cloud-based production under conditions significantly more challenging than a typical broadcast studio. And the NAB Show LIVE team was delighted with the outcome. The team from AWS had a firsthand look at the challenges customers face when setting up a cloud production environment, improving their understanding and ability to support customers.
“Thank you to Ross. Honestly, thank you. We could not have done it without your help.”
Simone D’Antone
Global Strategy Leader – Broadcast, AWS
