Challenge: Need for a video recording, streaming and switching solution

A new total video recording, streaming and switching solution was needed in METS Center’s training rooms. This system had to be able to integrate with the simulation dummies already in place. Erno van Vliet, METS Center Technical Education Assistant: “The new system naturally had to be reliable and stable. In addition, trainers should be able to easily operate the system.” Niels van Krieken adds: “Besides the existing functionality, we also had additional requirements such as being able to switch between different layouts and video sources, integration with existing systems and being able easily to make specific settings.”

“The use of video footage can provide additional insight into performance. During interdisciplinary team training, it works enlightening, because seeing it allows you to actually analyze how a situation arises.”

Solution: All-in-one video system Epiphan Pearl Mini

In the past, Erno already had good experiences with Epiphan Video, which is why during market research he quickly came across Intronics as an official distributor of Epiphan Video.

Ben Franken, Technical Sales Engineer Intronics: “During a visit to the METS Center to map the needs and introduce Niels and Erno to the Epiphan Pearl systems, it soon became clear that other items such as various cameras and a NAS server were also needed to modernise the system. For this, in consultation with Niels and Erno, I contacted Mark from AV AT LAST, certified Epiphan dealer.”

During the subsequent system design process, it quickly became clear that the Epiphan Pearl Mini (an all-in-one video recording, streaming and switching system) best suited the customer’s needs, partly because of the 7-inch touchscreen on the Pearl Mini. This touchscreen makes it easy to start and stop recordings, and the right layout can also be easily selected. Once the recording is complete, the Pearl Mini automatically sends the file to the NAS server as required.

“In our experience, reliability and user-friendliness of an AV system are crucial. Failures and cumbersome operation are hugely frustrating for everyone.”

Decisive: Proof of Concept

With support from Intronics, AV AT LAST provided a Proof of Concept. This way, METS Center could compare different video systems and make a solid choice. Mark van der Last of AV AT LAST: “I can always count on Intronics, whether it is for advice, support or providing demo equipment.” Eventually, training was conducted with a test setup in two simulation rooms (ICU and A&E).

Result: Simulation rooms equipped with Epiphan Pearl Mini

All five simulation rooms have been equipped with the new debriefing system with the Epiphan Pearl Mini as the crucial link. “Everything has been working satisfactorily for some time already. Both clients and instructors are enthusiastic,” say Niels van Krieken and Erno van Vliet.

Remote workflow for the win

Tim turned to Epiphan’s Pearl systems for their unmatched flexibility, reliability, and most critically – their remote control capabilities. With Pearl’s deployed on-site, and connected to the network at the various conferences and event spaces, Tim and his team could oversee multiple events simultaneously, from anywhere. They even managed to control the live streaming of a general session from an airplane!

All of this is possible due to Epiphan Edge, which allows remote production and monitoring of a fleet of Pearl systems, from anywhere.

Scaling operations: Being in two places at once

The ability to manage multiple devices from a central location went far beyond providing breakout room services for a single site. It ultimately allowed Talon AV to expand its clientele by offering remote event support services. Now, the Talon AV team can be in several places at once, producing one event on-site while remotely supporting other events happening miles away.

This allowed the company to significantly scale up operations without expanding its footprint.

• Remote Management: Using Epiphan Edge, the Talon AV team could remotely monitor and control Pearl devices, making adjustments on the fly and responding to any issues without needing to be physically present—a game-changer for events spanning multiple rooms or locations.
• Versatile Streaming and Recording: Pearl’s adaptability allowed Talon AV to handle everything from direct streaming to point-to-point SRT links with one set of hardware, ensuring high-quality video delivery under various network conditions and show needs.
• Large-Scale Event Management: For an event with 30 breakout rooms, Pearl hardware facilitated efficient management and recording, proving indispensable in capturing content while meeting strict security requirements and keeping a tight footprint.

Conclusion

For Talon AV, Epiphan’s Pearl and Edge have become indispensable tools in their event production toolkit, enabling Tim and his team to tackle the challenges of live event production head-on. The reliability and flexibility of Epiphan products have not only streamlined Talon AV’s operations but also significantly boosted the company’s image.

They can take on more clients and manage multiple events simultaneously. This ability to accomplish more with fewer people has set Talon AV apart in the industry, enhancing its reputation for efficiency and excellence, and making every event a success story in its own right.

Real-time feedback hurdles

Amidst numerous stakeholders eagerly awaiting test footage, the challenge of delivering this data in real-time became paramount. The urgency for immediate feedback during crash tests clashed with the complexity of managing large, high-speed video files, slowing down the process significantly.

Remote stakeholders urgently need this footage to begin designing or adjusting the next test, yet the logistical challenge posed by the large file sizes necessitated a faster solution. The financial burden and time hassle associated with attending the crash tests in person would be significant. This applies not only to the collaborators located across the country and the world, but also to the local UNL staff: the university campus is situated 12 miles away from the test proving grounds.

Pearl-2 facilitates immediate feedback

Enter Epiphan Pearl-2, a game-changer in MwRSF’s workflow. Widely adopted for mission-critical applications, Pearl-2 is often used in simulation, training, and testing environments to capture, enhance, record, and stream video.

Integrating Pearl-2 for live streaming crash tests enabled near-real-time reactions and instant feedback from the stakeholders. Aggregated high-speed camera footage streamed through Pearl allows remote viewers to witness events mere seconds after they occur, bypassing the delays of physical file transfers.

This approach revolutionized collaboration between the stakeholders. During the live streams, colleagues located miles away could connect quickly, engaging in immediate discussions and playback sessions of recorded test sections. The live stream became a platform for real-time feedback and discussion, creating a seamless bridge between stakeholders and fostering a shared commitment to advancing road safety.

Most importantly, one of the main advantages of using the Pearl-2 relates to the travel costs that are saved by not attending the crash tests in person.

Faster collaboration, cost savings, and new ideas

Pearl’s impact on MwRSF’s operations was transformative. Immediate test results empowered stakeholders to swiftly tackle challenges, accelerating problem-solving and expediting road safety enhancements. Real-time streaming not only enhanced collaboration but also minimized stakeholder downtime, eliminating waiting periods for results.

The saved travel costs further justified the investment in Epiphan’s equipment, a critical aspect for a non-profit organization with stringent budget considerations.

MwRSF Test Site Manager and Research Associate Engineer Jim Holloway lauded Pearl’s reliability, user-friendliness, and versatility, stating, “I’m very, very happy and impressed with the Pearl. Whatever you can throw at it, there’s a way to get it in there and be able to do what you want.”

Looking ahead, plans to explore 4K workflows, SRT ingestion for low-latency streaming, and deeper utilization of Pearl’s capabilities underscore MwRSF’s ongoing commitment to refining testing methodologies. “A really neat thing about the Pearl is that it’s broadened my horizons,” Holloway noted, “the more I learn the capabilities, the more ideas I have”. Inspired by Pearl’s capabilities, Holloway envisions entirely new and unexpected applications for the device. Among them are live training sessions for engineers and students.

Conclusion

The integration of Pearl products marked a profound shift in MwRSF’s approach to roadside safety testing. Through live streaming capabilities and heightened efficiency, UNL’s initiative sets a new standard in safety innovation. Their forward-looking roadmap underscores dedication to innovation, strengthening their commitment to enhancing safety measures for all. The significant benefit of saving travel costs further reinforces the value and justification for the adoption of Epiphan’s equipment, aligning seamlessly with the financial considerations of a non-profit organization.

The challenge: Scaling video capture in an established Panopto environment

NTNU is Norway’s largest university, with over 9,000 employees and 42,000 students across three campuses. In 2019, NTNU’s senior IT engineer, Magnus Lian, faced no small task: he needed to equip over 700 rooms for lecture capture.

Fortunately, Lian wasn’t starting from scratch. The school had an existing lecture capture infrastructure, with a small portion of rooms outfitted for recording. But unfortunately, while the deployed CMS and learning management system (LMS) served the school well, the software-based video capture solution wasn’t efficient or reliable.

The PC-based software required constant hardware updates to work efficiently, which meant frequent financial investments. Even still, the software would occasionally crash, costing teachers their recorded video content. Clearly, it was time for an upgrade.

After testing various video capture solutions, it became apparent that dedicated hardware was the best way forward for NTNU, offering superior reliability over software-based solutions. So Lian began his search for a hardware solution that would work well with Panopto, the school’s existing CMS.

The solution: Pearl Mini’s rock-solid performance and direct Panopto integration

NTNU has so far equipped over 100 rooms with Pearl Mini hardware encoders for lecture capture. Depending on the room, Pearl Mini captures two or three video sources: an SDI camera source and a single or dual HDMI projector source. It also captures audio from the teacher’s lav mic or a desktop microphone via XLR.

The IT team set up Pearl Mini to encode each source as a separate channel, sending individual 1080p RTMP streams to Panopto. This way, students can access HD ISO recordings of each video source and switch between them in Panopto as needed.

Lian’s team schedules lecture recordings through Panopto to begin automatically when class starts. The teachers don’t have to press any buttons: they just mic up and start teaching. Pearl Mini also records locally as a backup.

The setup includes tools that help teachers monitor the recording. Set up on every lectern, a confidence monitor displays each video source separately. The MultiViewer feature allows Lian’s team to directly output individual sources from Pearl Mini to the in-room display.

Additionally, each lecture room features a busylight that automatically turns red whenever recording is in progress, helping the institution comply with requirements set out in the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The team uses the Kuando Busylight UC Omega, which connects directly to Pearl Mini’s USB port.

The results: A flexible, easy-to-use lecture capture solution

Pearl Mini proved the perfect Panopto-integrated hardware encoder for NTNU’s lecture capture needs, introducing a host of benefits appreciated by staff and faculty alike.

Peace of mind for the IT team

With a proven reliability record and consistent firmware updates from Epiphan, Lian knows his Pearl devices will keep serving NTNU for years to come – with no recurring costs and no need for costly hardware updates.

Less legwork for technicians

The IT team at NTNU takes advantage of the remote login feature to access all settings on any Pearl device on the network. Remote access saves staff the effort of going over to each device for configuration and troubleshooting. As Vegard Vestmo, an engineer and architect at NTNU, put it: “Connecting directly to Pearl through a web interface is a really easy procedure that makes my day a whole lot better.”

Easy for teachers to use

With automatic recording made possible by Pearl Mini’s Panopto integration, all teachers have to do is come into the room and start teaching. And with convenient source monitoring right in front of them, teachers can be confident their students will receive the right video material.

Easy recording signaling for EU GDPR compliance

It’s easy to connect a USB status light directly to Pearl to let the teachers and students know that streaming or recording is underway.

The lecture capture solution your school deserves

World-class educational institutions like NTNU have high standards for the reliability of lecture capture solutions. Epiphan Pearl hardware encoders offer unmatched uptime, continuous firmware updates, and award-winning customer support.

Epiphan Pearl devices integrate seamlessly with several CMSs (including Kaltura, Panopto, and YuJa), making uploading and managing your lecture capture content a breeze.

To make your IT staff’s life even easier, take advantage of Epiphan Cloud, a remote device management tool. With features like a centralized dashboard, 24/7 monitoring and alerting, batch actions, and CMS scheduling, Epiphan Cloud lets you centralize hardware configuration and management.

Learn more about Epiphan solutions for education and how Pearl can become a part of your school’s success story.

The challenge: How to leverage existing technology for better student outcomes

Over the past few years, MTSU has taken great strides to elevate the learning experience for both remote and in-classroom students. Across over 400 classrooms, the university has invested time and money to add projectors, sound systems, document cameras, computers, and laptops.

To make the most of this investment, the MTSU Classroom AV team began searching for a device that could align all of these devices to record lecture content and allow students to view later or watch via livestream.

Says Dustin Smith, Service Desk Technician, “Software just wasn’t working for us, so we started looking at hardware-based methods to accomplish their needs.

The team also wanted to invest in a cloud-based solution that would scale across classrooms. With a small staff of just two people, they would need to remotely control, manage, and configure the technology across the 400+ platforms.

Finally, they needed an automated system that would take human error out of the equation, saving time for the AV team and improving the experience for faculty and students.

The solution: Synthesizing the learning experience with Epiphan, Panopto, and Zoom

Epiphan Pearl Mini fulfilled MTSU’s needs for an automated lecture-capture system that could synthesize all classroom video sources, start and stop recordings, and deliver video to Panopto and Zoom. And with cloud-based capabilities, the AV team can monitor the tech in each classroom live and remotely.

Easy to deploy

The MTSU AV team had a short time span for installing Pearl Mini, cameras, and mics. Working with Epiphan, they were able to make 428 rooms fully functional in just three months.

Says James Copeland, Director, Classroom Technology, “Every change I wanted to make or solution I needed, Epiphan had a ‘yes’ for that. We were able to deploy the configuration we set for one classroom out to all of them. So the deployment was phenomenal.”

Works in tandem with Panopto

The MTSU team uses Pearl Mini with Panopto as their Content Management System (CMS). While live streaming to Panopto during class, Pearl Mini simultaneously records locally. Then Pearl Mini uploads that file to Panopto where it’s archived in the correct folder.

“We’re able to send both the camera and our device channel to Panopto, and it will actually display in two screens so students can switch back and forth between camera and computer,” says Smith. “The way they integrate is really, really streamlined so we enjoy using both of them together.”

Enhances the Zoom experience

Pearl Mini’s classroom capabilities go beyond lecture capture to improve learning via Zoom. Instead of using a built-in webcam, the university utilizes the rooms’s cameras and microphones. Then Pearl Mini reroutes the audio and video back to Zoom. This ensures that all the students on the call can hear and see the content being presented.

Provides centralized, remote control and monitoring

One feature that has the AV team especially excited is the Pearl Mini cloud capabilities. With Epiphan Edge, the team has full remote access, a centralized dashboard for monitoring devices, and real-time alerts about issues that arise. No more running across campus to troubleshoot on-site.

Improves student and faculty success

Pearl Mini makes recording and accessing lecture content a no-brainer for faculty and students. The one-touch system is intuitive and requires little training, allowing even the most inexperienced users to control the system with confidence. In addition, faculty can schedule recording sessions, so they don’t have to worry about pressing the record button at the beginning of each class.

Using the recorded lectures, faculty can easily review their performance and improve their teaching methods. And since students can use lecture recordings to supplement their studies, many are seeing an improvement in their academic performance.

For the MTSU Classroom Technology team, the goal is to create an inclusive and immersive learning experience for both students and faculty. And if they can achieve this in a way that is intuitive for everyone and saves the small, two-person team time? Even better.

“I’d say over a year it’s saved us at least a couple hundred hours,” says Smith. “It’s helped our classrooms become smarter and a lot more streamlined.”

For Microsoft’s global all-hands event, they trusted Epiphan Connect to showcase the very best of their people, brand, and ideas.

Microsoft is leading the way in embracing hybrid work, recognizing the importance of video to showcase its company and people in the best light possible. They know the power of an engaging video experience to get people excited and are committed to delivering just that. But even at a global leader like Microsoft, virtual and hybrid events can be challenging, causing stress for organizers and participants alike.

Epiphan Connect is the perfect solution to this challenge. By bridging the convenience of Microsoft Teams with the high-quality output of professional broadcasting, Epiphan Connect helped Microsoft create a stress-free and cost-effective internal event without sacrificing quality. Thanks to Epiphan Connect, Microsoft can now produce content that rivals that of broadcast productions. Its participants can focus on engaging and enjoying the event rather than getting bogged down by technology.

The Challenge: Quadrupling lecture capture capacity

When speaking to the faculty and administrative staff at NC State University, it’s clear how much their historical land-grant status matters. Land-grant universities were created across the United States in the late-1800s to make higher education more accessible to the average American. This tradition of accessible education lives on at NC State and requires constant upkeep to make sure the staff has the tools necessary to meet the needs of their students.

Because innovation and access are at the very core of NC State’s values, they are no strangers to deploying lecture capture technology. Tony Pearson, Senior Associate Director of Digital Education and Learning Technology Applications (DELTA), recalls how in the 1990s the lecture capture initiative depended on a “Sneaker Net.” Members of DELTA would walk around campus and pick up video tapes for duplication and distribution. Thankfully, the need to physically pick up and mail out tapes has become obsolete. But the demand for classroom capture has only grown since the years of Mr. Pearson’s “Sneaker Net.”

The existing lecture capture technology was primarily geared towards accommodating any student unable to attend classes physically. Given NC State’s diverse student body, this might include military service members stationed abroad, international students, and students working full-time. As such, the scope of the lecture capture initiative was relatively small, with only 50 classrooms capable of streaming and recording. And it was at the professor’s discretion whether or not to opt-in to have their classrooms recorded.

Year after year, however, when students submitted feedback and completed surveys, the demand for more recorded courses was consistently growing. Both in-person and online students saw it as a valuable addition to their learning experience. Even faculty members who participated in year-end surveys expressed an overwhelming desire to increase classroom capture, believing it could have a positive impact on student performance.

With a growing demand to provide more class recordings from in-class students, online students, and faculty members, NC State’s DELTA went through an exhaustive evaluation period to find the solution that made the most sense.

Whatever they chose as their classroom capture solution, it had to:

• Integrate with their existing AV infrastructure and content management system (CMS), Panopto.
• Have the option to be operated remotely.
• Easy to maintain without adding additional headcount.

Plus, the classroom capture solution had to make sense from a budgetary perspective.

The only product that checked all boxes? Epiphan Pearl systems.

The Solution: Pearl Mini provides reliable support in the face of massive demands

NC State ended up choosing Pearl Mini hardware encoders as the primary workhorse for all lecture capture setups. With its two HDMI, one SDI, and dual professional XLR audio inputs, it was the perfect choice for in-room audio and video capture. Each room included a camera source, a computer source, and audio from a ceiling-mounted microphone.

Right off the bat, NC State’s DELTA staff were intrigued by Pearl’s ability to integrate with all the existing and new equipment seamlessly.

Upon realizing that Pearl Mini would interact with the other components, DELTA had to evaluate it from the end-user experience. The team’s idea of an ideal end-user experience was for it to be totally seamless. They didn’t want the faculty to feel intimidated or overwhelmed by the technology. They didn’t even want faculty members to notice it was there.

The integration with Panopto CMS delivered that seamless experience. It eliminated the need to show professors how to activate the Pearl Mini in their lecture halls. The faculty, already familiar with Panopto, pressed record just like they always did. And to accommodate any professors not yet familiar with Panopto, the DELTA team developed automated control functions through Pearl’s compatibility with the Crestron Control Module. Professors could now walk into the lecture hall and begin teaching. The recording starts automatically, and the file is uploaded to NC State’s LMS minutes after the lecture concludes.

With two key criteria met, the question of maintenance and monitoring still loomed largely. The DELTA team couldn’t be in 300 different places at once. Well, they could be, thanks to Epiphan Edge.

Included with all Epiphan Pearl products, Epiphan Edge was developed to simplify remote production. Whatever apprehensions the DELTA team felt about being spread too thin were relieved by its inclusion. They could configure and monitor over 300 Pearl devices on campus from a centralized admin panel on their web browser. Epiphan Edge eliminated any need for legwork, making the scaled-up classroom capture more efficient to maintain than the previous iteration.

The Results: A dynamic learning environment for all

Pearl Mini was designed with reliability in mind. At NC State, over 40,000 students depend on the resources Pearl delivers to reach their full academic potential. And the DELTA depends on the Pearl Minis to uphold a 135-year legacy. By staking the success of their ambitious new venture on Epiphan, the impacts were tangible less than a year after adoption.

Beyond the classroom

Though making sure classrooms were capable of state-of-the-art capture was the priority, like any higher learning institution, there’s much more going on daily than just lectures. NC State has also outfitted specialty spaces with capture technology, allowing the team to record, stream, and share special events, meetings, presentations, governance meetings, and more. With this, students, faculty, and staff can stay connected with all facets of university life anywhere, at any time.

Student engagement

Students who had long lobbied for an increase in classroom capture are taking advantage of the scaled-up resource. In two semesters with Epiphan supporting the expanded capture, recorded lectures have accumulated over 4 million views. Professors have noted that students rewatch lectures to prepare for assignments and exams. Students are markedly asking more specific and detailed clarifying questions about the material ahead of important evaluations.

It’s a resource that’s enhanced students who can come to class every day, a safety net for any student who is unable to attend in person, an important connector for online students, and creates a more accessible environment for any students with disabilities.

National recognition

In its annual survey of 1,600 online degree programs, U.S. News & World Report selected seven NC State online programs in the top 10 of their respective disciplines.

Student achievement is a major factor in each ranking, but U.S. News also takes into account services and technologies. As a result, the thoroughness and reliability of lecture capture have been a huge differentiator for online programs. Linda Krute, the Engineering Online program director, told NC State News, “These are online degrees, but for the students, the experience is the same as if they were on campus. The same courses, same faculty, same homework, same exams, and ultimately the same diplomas.”

The ability to transport students from anywhere in the world into the classroom at their convenience will soon become the standard at NC State, thanks to Epiphan.

As more and more institutions like NC State see the impact investing in classroom capture has on the quality of education for their students and the quality of life for their faculty and staff, it will soon be the standard. And once classroom capture is standardized across higher learning, we all reap the benefits of accessible education.

Whether you have an existing AV infrastructure that needs scaling up like NC State or you’re starting from scratch, Epiphan is proud to offer a full slate of solutions to make streaming, recording, and monitoring simpler and more efficient.

The birth (and boom) of BabyFlix

Many people are eager to share their ultrasound screenings with family and friends. But it’s not always possible, or easy. Family members live far away or can’t travel. The appointment timing might not work for everyone who’d love to be there. And capturing ultrasound images requires technical know-how that clinics might not have.

The demand for a platform like BabyFlix was inevitable in today’s hyperconnected world, says Steve Corey, one of the company’s founders. “The demographic of people having babies are sharing their lives online. it started to trend in the direction of, ‘Hey, you know what? I’m online, I’m posting everything. Now I’d like my friends to participate in my ultrasound exam.’”

BabyFlix works with partner clinics to source, set up, and configure the technology that makes ultrasound capture and streaming possible. The platform sends participating parents instructions on how to invite others to tune in. During the examination, parents can interact with viewers on their mobile devices.

Making ultrasound imagery shareable

Most of the 100+ BabyFlix-equipped clinics are powered by Epiphan encoding and capture products, which have earned an easy recommendation from BabyFlix.

The capture card – an Epiphan AV.io or internal DVI2PCIe Duo – brings the video signal from the ultrasound machine into a computer running video production software. That computer is connected to an Epiphan encoder, which handles the streaming and/or recording.

By relying on Epiphan hardware, BabyFlix can focus on refining its software experience, scale more quickly, and sidestep the many challenges that come with the hardware business – from supply chain and manufacturing snags to distribution and logistical issues.

Growing the concept

The idea of sharing ultrasound imagery has come a long way – from static images to DVDs to digital recordings to live streams. And there’s still plenty of room to grow. The company is looking into incorporating pre-appointment surveys, interactive video services, artificial intelligence, and other enhancements to take the concept to the next level.

“We’re certainly not at the pinnacle yet,” says Corey. “It will be more sophisticated, more interactive and engaging for people watching, more fun.”

Build your business with award-winning hardware

Have an idea for a video-driven venture? Looking to augment your current business with a video component, or replace underperforming products or services? Look no further than Epiphan’s suite of video production solutions. Versatile and reliable, Pearl hardware encoders support a broad range of applications for video. And Epiphan Cloud gives you the power to record, stream, switch, and mix from anywhere in the world.

Discover our award-winning products at epiphan.com/products.

The challenge: Searching for a dependable dedicated encoder

A packed calendar of hybrid and virtual events across the United States made one thing clear to the team at J&B Production Company: investing in a permanent hardware encoder, rather than continuing to rent, made a lot of sense.

Thus began J&B’s search for the perfect video encoder to pair with its production switcher. At the top of the company’s wishlist was a rare combination of small size and professional features – to facilitate transportation and to afford the team the flexibility to serve their diverse clientbase.

The search started with a misfire. When J&B tried a newer encoder offering from one company, the device failed within the first hour of pushing a stream to it.

Eager to secure an encoder in time for their upcoming dates, the team thought back to a source of past success – a rented Epiphan Pearl-2 video production system – and knew just where to look.

The solution: Pearl Nano, the perfect-fit streamer and recorder

“We always had good luck in the past with Epiphan hardware,” Johnson continues. “Never had huge issues, which usually doesn’t happen. I can name you lots of audio consoles and switchers that have failed countless times in the 14 years I’ve been doing this.”

The decision came down to two Epiphan products: Pearl Nano or Pearl Mini. In the end, the team chose Pearl Nano for its refined yet versatile feature set and ultraportable package.

J&B purchased two Pearl Nano units, which have delivered the desired flexibility while helping to streamline production setup with:

• Built-in inputs for HDMI and SDI (a rare find on encoders in this price range), making converters unnecessary.
• XLR inputs for professional audio (versus only audio via a headphone jack or RCA, as is common on other smaller, medium-range devices), cutting down the number of cables and adapters.
• Scaling capabilities, eliminating some previously required gear.

Also appealing about Pearl Nano were its compact size (206 mm x 150 mm x 43 mm) and low weight (907 g), which make the unit exceptionally easy to transport.

Pearl Nano’s cost-to-value ratio was also on the mark, adds Johnson. “In the grand scheme of things, the price is pretty small. It’s cheaper than an Apple computer, and you get a lot in a size you can carry with you. I don’t have to rack it or carry a case. You can put it in your backpack, and that’s pretty impressive for what it does.”

Another plus: the device is able to meet the often strict security requirements of J&B’s clients. This includes medical companies that must adhere to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations, and a major social media platform in Silicon Valley that must maintain a robust security posture.

Results: Rock-solid streaming and recording for every event

All told, Pearl Nano proved a perfect fit for J&B’s needs. “For what we invested to get the units, we’ve gotten twenty times more out of them than what we paid at least,” Johnson says. “For me it ticks everything. I really couldn’t ask for more.”

Trusted performance, unmatched flexibility

With its rugged chassis and reliable performance, Pearl Nano has brought the J&B team the reliability they needed in an encoder. “They’ve been thrown into many Pelicans and sent all over and we haven’t had an issue yet,” says Johnson.

Power over Ethernet Plus (PoE+) also showed its production-saving potential when, during a rehearsal, someone stepped on a unit and killed the power switch. Thanks to Pearl Nano’s PoE+ support, the system kept going.

The team also appreciates Pearl Nano’s versatile feature set. It lets them offer clients more options without adding cost – especially important for those trying to keep their overheads down by hosting virtual events.

Another favorite feature: Pearl Nano’s flexible storage. It’s a boon to be able to remove the SD card and transfer recent recordings to a laptop, Johnson says. “Whoever is free can start backing up stuff.”

Straightforward in anyone’s hands

Pearl Nano’s intuitive interface makes it easy to set up and stream. That’s a big plus over competing products, which the J&B team found clunky and slow.

Adding efficiency are time-saving features like the ability to set up multiple stream keys in Epiphan Edge and apply them to devices as needed. The team appreciated this greatly for one client who required seven stream keys a day, Johnson adds.

Production peace of mind

J&B’s new video encoder hardware has also brought the team something you can’t put a price on: less stress. This is crucial when it comes to virtual events, which add the network layer as a major potential point of failure, says Johnson.

“Pearl Nano has saved me a lot of stress and a lot of worry. As soon as we got them and used them on a few events, I realized I don’t have to worry on the encoder side anymore. I trust it’s going to do its job, and I haven’t had one fail yet.”

The solution: Epiphan Unify cloud-powered production

Epiphan Unify offers the ultimate flexibility to record, switch, mix, and restream content from anywhere. In this case, the perspectives of three motorcycle riders were combined into a single program and streamed live to YouTube.

To capture video, each rider used a smartphone with a wearable or handlebar mount. The phones streamed video to Epiphan Unify through Softvelum’s Larix Broadcaster mobile app. Like Epiphan Unify, the app supports SRT streaming protocol.

SRT can stream high-quality video over unpredictable networks thanks to features like configurable latency and packet recovery. Furthermore, SRT is compatible with H.265/HEVC codec, capable of reducing the required bandwidth by half compared to H.264/AVC codec. This powerful combination of SRT and H.265/HEVC allowed the riders to stream high-quality HD video directly to Epiphan Unify at a bitrate of just 1.5 Mbps and a configured latency of only 700 ms.

From there, a remote operator mixed these video sources in Epiphan Unify to create a polished multi-camera program complete with PIP layouts, branding, and titles. The program was then streamed to YouTube while simultaneously recording each ISO video source and the program itself.

The remote operator first configured the program using Epiphan Unify’s intuitive web-based interface, then managed the stream and switched between layouts using a smartphone.

Results: An engaging multi-camera live event video with minimal effort

The live program streamed to YouTube for nearly two hours without any interruptions. Viewers were engaged by opening speeches at the event and a variety of multi-camera layouts that provided the exciting POV perspectives of the three motorcycle riders. Branded graphics and YouTube links encouraged viewers to make a donation to Ride for Dad and the titles let viewers know which rider’s perspective they were viewing at any given moment.

As the riders ventured to rural areas and passed through areas with spotty cellular coverage, there were several short disruptions to their camera feeds, however the SRT streams quickly recovered without requiring any adjustments. The Epiphan Unify operator could simply switch layouts to whichever rider’s stream was available in these moments, creating a seamless experience for the viewer and ensuring the program remained consistently engaging.

The instantly available recordings of each rider’s ISO and the program made post-production of highlight videos from the event fast and easy.

We received lots of positive feedback from the stream viewers, including Ride for Dad participants from other cities who praised the video quality. The Epiphan Video team raised $1,757 for this great cause and will continue to participate in future events.