Dailies and transcoding systems developer Colorfront has launched a “high-performance, cost-effective,” remote working/cloud initiative.
Colorfront has fast-tracked its cloud-based capabilities to deliver direct, remote interactive operation of either its existing in-facility Transkoder systems, or the use of high-performance, interactive Transkoders in the cloud to let Studio and post companies continue to QC, render, package and deliver their wide variety of UHD/4K, IMF/DCP, SDR/HDR projects.
Colorfront’s remote working/cloud initiative has been trialed and beta-tested by some of the company’s leading US clients, and is now being rolled-out with new licensing options to select Colorfront Transkoder and QC Player customers with a minimum of five licenses on a valid subscription contract.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically increased demand for content, but it also poses acute challenges to the commercial operations and revenues of professional media companies globally, who need and want to keep delivering content,” said Aron Jaszberenyi, MD of Colorfront. “With our remote working/cloud initiative they can keep working safely and maintain crucial business continuity. These unprecedented times may also prove to be a new era for effective, remote/cloud-based TV and filmmaking workflows.”
For customers with in-facility Transkoders, Colorfront has enabled high-quality and low-latency remote-access that gives them access to the full-functionality of their systems. For cloud-based workflows, Colorfront has leveraged its experience with Amazon AWS and Microsoft Azure cloud services, to offer multi-GPU Transkoder instances in the cloud for fast and efficient rendering, available by the hour.
Colorfront has used AJA’s Io 4K Plus and Kona5 video card for the remote streaming client to output 12G SDI to professional 4K HDR broadcast monitors, plus UHD HDR via HDMI with HDR signaling. Colorfront is also enabling Dolby Vision metadata in the video stream, which is output via Kona5 on HDMI.
Now users can: easily access interactive Transkoders, in-facility or in the cloud, with professional, reference quality remote video output, up to 10-bit 444 UHD HDR, on broadcast monitors or consumer OLED HDR displays; submit renders to Transkoder Engines; and securely deliver multiple packaged version files to cloud-based storage or directly to OTT vendors.
Working with media in cloud storage, such as Amazon S3, Colorfront’s initiative offers real-time playback of IMF and DCP packages, as well as post and camera formats including OpenEXR, Alexa LF ARRIRAW ARX, Sony Venice RAW and Red 8K R3D RAW.
Colorfront’s new remote working/cloud initiative comes with new licensing options allowing customers on subscription to “burst” their licenses in the cloud for 90 days. For qualifying customers, who own a minimum of five Colorfront Transkoder, Transkoder Engine or Colorfront QCPlayer hardware dongles, Colorfront will allow them to burst up to the same number of licenses in AWS EC2 or Microsoft Azure with no license charges for 90 days. After 90 days they can renew their Colorfront cloud licenses quarterly or yearly. Usage charges for the hardware, storage and other cloud services, are billed separately by the respective cloud-service providers.
“At Colorfront, we will continue to work closely with our customers and partners, and focus our resources on doing everything we possibly can to help the industry keep moving forwards,” added Jaszberenyi. “We wish everyone in our community worldwide the very best, and look forward to the time when the crisis is over.”
Jon Creamer
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