Cisco Videoscape

Videoscape is a part of general strategy of Cisco in the field of video directed to creation of television of the new generation simple in use and creating new market opportunities for service providers. Cisco already cooperates with a number of large world service providers (for example, with Telstra company) to provide to the audience of video function of new generation on the Videoscape platform.

Cisco Videoscape is the open platform using cloud computing, networks and client devices for delivery of new video functions via the Internet. Principal components of this platform are listed below.

For the house:

• Videoscape media gateway for integration of a voice, linear and on-line video, high-speed data, traffic of Wi-fi and network routing.
• The television Videoscape IP prefix for support of all video formats delivered to television receivers including a pay TV, broadcast channels, channels of high quality, video on demand (VoD) and the Internet.
• Software clients of Videoscape for distribution of functionality of Videoscape on a set of home and mobile devices, from the connected television receivers to tablet computers, smartphones and other user terminals.

For a network cloud:

• Videoscape Media Suite (the system of comprehensive content management allowing the operator to manage effectively and economically content delivery on a set of screens).

For network:

• Cisco Conductor for Videoscape, the system of approval of different services and control functions by subscribers in different network clouds, networks and on different client devices.

All listed above product lines work in architecture of Cisco media networks. They are completely compatible to the existing portfolio of network products (Cisco CRS, Cisco ASR routers, the system of content delivery of CDS, the systems of termination of cable modems (Cable Modem Termination Systems), cloud computing (Cisco Unified Computing System™ and Cisco Nexus®) and professional services on implementation of advanced technologies and optimization of network and telecommunication architectures (Cisco Advanced Services).

Advantages of the Videoscape platform to users

Fascinating functions: a wide choice of sources of content, including broadcast channels, a pay TV and the Internet; integration of the Internet, social networks, messaging applications and mobility. As a result the viewer receives:

• ease of use (Videoscape provides simpler and convenient access to a set of sources of content using the most different devices);
• it is more than screen content: content is delivered from more wide range of sources, including broadcast channels, television on demand, DVR and the Internet;
• wider range of social and interactive functions: integration of the popular social network sites and Cisco Telepresence technology will allow to exchange easily content and to show it via television receivers;
• more wide choice of mobile content: the TV viewer will be able to use the TV functions and on the way, receiving various content using different mobile devices and smartphones;
• high quality of Cisco: the built-in "smart" network Videoscape functions increase quality of the video records delivered via the Internet to TV screens. As a result the user can receive services of "bonus" quality with high resolution, and not just the usual services provided "by the residual principle".

Advantages of the Videoscape platform to operators

• Expanded business models. Videoscape distinguishes services of the operator from the competing offers and expands possibilities of delivery of profitable services. New business models can include delivery of applications, home Telepresence, video with e-commerce and many other things.
• Expanded availability of services. Videoscape allows service providers to monetize the actions even outside own network and traditional devices. For example, the service provider can offer users the corporate personalized services, irrespective of location and access type to content.

Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite (VDS)

At the IBC 2012 exhibition in Amsterdam the Cisco company showed the expanded and updated portfolio of network solutions for content delivery under the name Cisco Videoscape Distribution Suite (VDS). The open platform delivering content to a set of screens on a set of protocols for a set of applications on a set of networks means. Cisco VDS represents a network distributor gear for architecture of Videoscape, this integral solution with cloud and network functionality. Cisco VDS is under construction on widespread services of content delivery networks of Cisco CDN (Content Delivery Network) which more than 50 global customers already use.

Cisco VDS supplements the Cisco Videoscape Conductor platform, giving the chance to manage economically the user services in uncontrollable networks. This solution facilitates formation of new sources of income using the video services approved among themselves which are sent live and with shift on time for any device and also using the promotion services available to any device.

Cisco VDS simplifies network management of CDN and cuts down current expenses using consolidation of forward translations and the written transfers, caching of content of OTT on the network periphery, optimization of a radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN), the analysis of CDN in real time and selections of resources in the remote mode.

The Cisco VDS components strengthened by VDS hardware of third-party producers are scaled independently of each other, i.e. the customer does not need to upgrade all network CDN to increase capacity or to expand these or those functions of stream transfer.

The following new products enter into the Videoscape Distribution Suite family:

• Video Recording (VDS-VR) is a cloud solution for record of forward translations and content transferred with shift on time;
• Origin Server (VDS-OS) is the solution for consolidation of server functions and converting of all entering content in the uniform file simplifying distribution of content by the HTTP Adaptive Bit Rate (ABR) and MPEG standards;
• Optimization Engine (VDS-OE) is the solution for unloading of a radio access network and the package trunk and also reduction of transportation costs;
• Service Broker (VDS-SB) is the solution consisting of the selector for the choice of services on each node of caching and supporting the interconnections of CDN necessary for formation of federation of CDN;
• Transparent Caching (VDS-TC) is the solution for unloading of a network backbone due to transfer of content of OTT of idrugy uncontrollable content from the trunk in boundary network segments.

Besides, Cisco built in a number of essential innovations the existing portfolio of Videoscape Distribution Suite:

• the Cisco VDS hardware with the latest functions from external developers allowing to integrate better VDS with the solutions Cisco UCS for DPC, routers and Cisco switches;
• Service Manager (VDS-SM) – a software platform for analytic functions, selection of resources and diagnostics in real time;
• Television (VDS-TV) – a transmission function of forward translations and the written content on the managed devices (set-top boxes and multidisplay gateways);
• Internet Streamer (VDS-IS) – control function by Internet content and formations of flows of this content for transfer on terminal units in wholesale and retail markets of CDN.

On January 7, 2013 at the industry show of CES 2013 which opened in Las Vegas the Cisco company announced Videoscape Unity – the new expanded platform for delivery of video services. This platform will allow operators and the media companies to support new intuitive synchronized multidisplay user video services. Suppliers of video services will for the first time receive the flexible open software platform which is beyond usual services like "TV everywhere" (TV Everywhere). Videoscape Unity will give to operators the chance to accelerate delivery of the immersive multidisplay video services supporting unique service offers and characteristics of trademarks.

The Videoscape Unity platform supports the following services:

• The multidisplay cloud digital video recorder (Multiscreen Cloud DVR) with functions of record and storage of video content in a cloud, but not on the user device. Users receive functions of the postponed reproduction and the records of TV programs allowing to reproduce video content written in a digital format in any place on any screen.
• "Video everywhere". This service expands normal functionality "TV everywhere", including in it the functions of the unified search, recognition and viewing giving to the audience the chance of high-quality reproduction of forward translations and the written programs on any – managed or uncontrollable the operator – the attached device, irrespective of its location.
• Network video on any home device. The connected video gateway Cisco (Cisco Connected Video Gateway) becomes a uniform point of delivery of entertaining services and managements of them. It serves for management of video in the IP and QAM formats, deliveries of video content and metadata to any connected home IP device and for support of uniform user functionality.
• Cable IP video. This service provides to the audience the expanded choice of content and video services in an IP format with express delivery of content on demand and interactive offers for the augmented list of the devices managed by the operator. At the same time the user can flexibly connect to kdanny service uncontrollable devices.

Cisco Videoscape Unity

The major Videoscape Unity component is the interface which is integrating video, social networks and other sources of information and almost instantly bringing information to a set of screens, providing to users the personalized, synchronous and broader social services.

• Architecture of open interfaces of application programming of Cisco Videoscape Unity Open API Framework. Represents a set of the open API modular interfaces with access through a cloud, networks and client devices. This architecture allows operators to plan and control better network infrastructure and also to manage it. Principal components of this architecture:
• cloud interfaces (Cloud API) providing an information access about content, metadata and the user profiles for development of interactive applications and component integration from other producers. These interfaces support the open OpenStack technology intended for management of cloud resources.
• architecture of Cisco for the Internet of new generation (Next-Generation Internet, NGI) using the open network Cisco ONE environment. This open programmable network environment allows to use still not involved network capabilities and to maintain consistency and simplicity of network transactions.
• Standard set of the developer (Reference Design Kit, RDK). At the Cisco stand different forms of interaction of the RDK tools with new applications and home devices were shown. RDK completely corresponds to the principle of a software maintenance open source on the Videoscape Unity platform. From the very beginning of development of RDK his creators decided to use program components with the open code to accelerate distribution of the advanced video services on client devices and to support hardware of different producers.
• Cloud television (Cloud TV). The multidisplay cloud solution of Cisco Videoscape™ Multiscreen Cloud DVR will help operators to accelerate distribution of DVR technology among subscribers. This solution added with one more cloud solution – Cisco® Media Origination, – will allow operators to implement high-performance cloud services of DVR, maintaining at the same time a large number of simultaneous write operations, delivery of video to a set of screens, high flexibility of services with a possibility of virtualization of components at the level of data and also the flexible scaling of operator resources increasing efficiency of storage systems, network systems and computing platforms.
• Program and user interfaces. The graphical user interface Videoscape Snowflake® mentioned by awards allowing to configure services on individual preferences of users completely is built in the solution Videoscape Unity to submerge the viewer in a videosreda and to unify delivery of video services to a set of screens. This interface provides synchronization and personalisation of video services, does them by more "social" and accelerates emergence of new services in the market.
• Video over IP on the Videoscape Unity platform. Cisco showed to visitors of an exhibition the modems and the gateways DOCSIS® 3.0 differing in high capacity and also showed new developments for the entering CMTS channels and global networks.
• The connected video gateway Videoscape Unity Connected Video Gateway. Extends cloud network to houses and apartments, providing to subscribers access to a set of services using a set of devices of the house and on the way. This gateway allows to deliver to the subscriber any content in any place to any screen at any time. Besides, Cisco showed integration of this gateway into the solution Cisco Prime® Home Analytics using information on subscribers and devices for complex automation of home networks and management of them.

2014: Videoscape Virtualized Video Processing

Videoscape Virtualized Video Processing - the solution of video streaming with support of permission 4K and ^[1].

On April 10, 2014 it became known of the announcement Cisco company of the advanced Videoscape platform. It was provided during demonstration of video streaming with the resolution of 4K in real time.

New opportunities of the Videoscape platform are shown within stream transfer of content, the first in the history of a session, with the resolution of 4K and frequency 60k/with in real time, organized by the companies Cisco and Sony. Video filmed with the camera Sony F55 4K was transferred from New York to Las Vegas on fiber optic network and decoded by a prefix Cisco with support of permission 4K.

Videoscape Virtualized Video Processing

The solution Videoscape Virtualized Video Processing (V2P) allows to fix a number of problems which the media companies and providers of services at broadcast of high-quality video on different devices face today. Rapid growth of volume of video content and increase in set of possible options on each processing stage of video are among such problems.

The solution V2P simplifies optimization of workflows and increases business flexibility taking into account characteristics:

• the Virtualized Video Processing portal allows to configure easily even the most difficult workflow in one window.
• Virtualized Video Orchestrator (VVO) selects program and hardware resources from the general pool (it can be a combination of physical and virtual resources) for accomplishment of all requests of workflows. This component uses technical and to business logician for selection of the additional software and the equipment as required.
• Processing loading for each workflow is executed by the program and hardware V2P elements. Each hardware component is multifunction, whether it be the physical device with the optimized performance or the virtual device on the server conforming to industry standards. Functions of a component are defined by programming elements of VVO.

• V2P uses such programming and hardware elements of video processing as the software of Videoscape AnyRes, families of high-performance platforms of video processing Cisco DCM and 9036 and also a blade servers of UCS.

Videoscape V2P helps to optimize investments into video products of Cisco company, simplifying at the same time implementation even of the most difficult workflows. This solution allows to leave from expensive and highly specialized devices, facilitates processing of the growing video volumes with the different permission, is easily integrated with physical devices, the virtual equipment and public clouds. Based on such standard technologies as NFV and SDN, the solution Videoscape V2P corresponds to the strategy of Cisco on general virtualization and plays an important role in implementation of wider platform – Cisco Evolved Services Platform.

Support of the HEVC standard and permission 4K in Videoscape AnyRes

The new generation of the multifunction program encoder and Videoscape AnyRes transcoder has a number of advanced opportunities, including support of video with the resolution of 4K and the new compression standard HEVC for voice transmission and applications in real time. The improved AnyRes also performs compression without loss of quality for already used standards, such as MPEG2 and AVC.

Improvements will help the media companies and telecom operators using AnyRes to meet all range of the requirements connected with difficult data processing. AnyRes and Virtualized Video Processing create the complete solution for processing of video.

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