Catena
Standardizing control & configuration in a multi-vendor environment
Addressing an Industry Gap
When Ross Video envisioned and proposed openGear, the industry was surprised. Rather than try to build a portfolio of signal processing technology to address every customer need, Ross Video decided to create an open standard that would allow customers to solve their production challenges with their vendor of choice. This is Ross Video’s code of ethics in action. In particular, #8 – We will cooperate with and help other friendly companies.
With the increasing importance of cloud technologies, a new gap became clear. There was no standard on how to configure, receive status and control cloud-based media services; in particular, from multiple vendors simultaneously. Ross embarked on creating a new set of technologies that would solve these cloud-based challenges, as well as, incorporating support for on premises based technologies to allow for hybrid workflows called Catena.
Why Catena?
The Hybrid Environment Reality
Today’s environments typically encompass a combination of on-premises and cloud environments. Solutions span a variety of platforms, and must interoperate, regardless of where they are hosted.
Need for More Seamless Multi-Vendor Integration
The number of devices, products and services from a wide array of vendors can be daunting, particularly with the move to microservices. Media companies need technologies to simply work together.
Security Emerging as a Priority
The need to secure environments and the connections between products and services in a standardized way is a must.
Catena’s Scope
Catena’s goal is to make it easy to secure, connect and control a multi-vendor ecosystem of on premises and cloud-based media processing services and microservices.
- Catena standardizes communication methods on technologies of all sizes. All the way from tiny microservices to full products. This enables true plug and play, even dynamically while services are running.
- A Catena compliant Catena ecosystem would provide APIs that can be used to orchestrate these services, along with UI hints, status, and alarming.
- Catena is designed using documented standards and best practices for software-based media processing to address command, control, status and security for devices.
Creating Catena
Our approach with Catena is to deliver a complete, well defined standard that can be reviewed by industry experts. While we are proud of our proposal, Ross Video recognizes the value of transferring the standard to a recognized authority for collection of other industry expertise and long-term maintenance.
Catena Ecosystem
