21285 - SCTE Broadband Dec2021 COMPLETE v1

33 Vol. 43 No. 4 - November 2021 Issue from the industry Edgecomputing:Unleashing ItsPotential There is no doubt that the past year has changed the rules on how we consume content as the number of people dropping their pay-TV subscriptions for OTT services continues to rise. Broadcasters have come under increased pressure to rethink business models and how they merge real-world and at-home viewing experiences, particularly for live events. Connecting and interacting with consumers at the edge offers the infrastructure needed to create product offerings that are as near to real-time as possible by processing and managing data, application requests and responses closer to where each consumer is located. However, it is important to note that edge computing is not a replacement for the cloud; rather, it complements it and allows each to be used for its own core value proposition. The cloud or corporate data centres can focus on data processing and preservation instead of gathering and analysing ever-growing data streams - saving time, money and lowering network load. Edge computing can be used wherever bandwidth, low latency or local management of large amounts of data are critical to delivering high-quality services. This activity is based on moving data storage, handling and processing to edge nodes, close to where an application, device or end- user generates the data and away from a centralised cloud or core network. Thanks to this solution, users will not have to connect to the main data centre but only locally to the edge network, which means everyone will experience the same ultra-low level of latency. Considering that we have recently recorded a sharp increase in the amount of work performed remotely - which has led to a significant change in the nature of traffic in telecommunications networks and demand for data - edge processing may be the key to managing latency. The advantages for broadcasters It has never been so crucial for broadcasters to retain viewers through good quality content and create more personalised, interactive features to keep viewers engaged for longer. Fortunately, as we move towards an edge computing future, broadcasters can create additional revenue streams to support profitability by personalising and localising content for end- users. In doing so, providers can benefit from improved video stream performance from significantly reducing latency and start-up times and custom/advanced security mechanisms that secure their content and fight piracy. Additionally, offloading customer origin traffic by doing more at the edge instead of making multiple round trips to the customer’s origin will significantly reduce costs, regardless of its infrastructure, cloud or operations while improving time to market. Broadcasters will fulfil the growing demand for their services while assuring consistent, high-quality broadcasts regardless of the quantity of data required with edge computing. Using CDN edge computers also needs less management, allowing developers to deploy code with less infrastructure provisioning and lower expenses. Edge computing makes lower latency, shorter workload durations, and tailored workloads for individual users or customers are all possible. Live media entertainment workflows are so latency-sensitive that a decrease in latency to 200 milliseconds makes a significant effect. Because of the reduction in latency, it is now possible for content providers to reimagine the viewing experience with more immersive features, including real-time video and interactivity, wagering and gamification. Creating cutting-edge viewing experiences Although edge computing solutions are still in their infancy in the broadcast industry, the benefits to content producers are undeniable. Lowering operational costs, improving performance and enabling low-bandwidth activities are advantages of moving computing from cloud data centres closer to the end-user. These benefits of minimising the distance data has to travel will help solve challenges in IoT, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and virtual and augmented reality — in fact, any business or technology that requires real-time data processing. By moving processes to the edge, broadcasters will be edge computing will enable broadcasters to usher in a new era of viewing experiences.