The COVID-19 pandemic has affected everyone’s personal and working lives. Restrictions may be partially lifted in some areas, but the truth is that the Media & Entertainment industry has discovered that some of its workers can work remotely or in a ‘hybrid’ state. While some professionals have returned or intend to return to studios, locations, editing suites, colouring suites, and screening rooms, for many this will not be full-time – and many others will remain working from home (WFH), a situation adopted as their new normal.
We’ve shared with readers, here at ProVideo Coalition, a variety of solutions offered by multiple companies to solve the “how to work remotely” problem, and here is a new one to explore, if you’re still after the right solution for you. Sohonet, the global experts in connectivity, media services and network security for the media and entertainment industry, just announced the launch of ClearView Pivot Lite.
This addition to Sohonet’s ClearView Pivot solution will provide a home-alternative for real-time remote editing, color grading, live screening and finishing reviews at full cinema quality. Pivot Lite will be available to all customers beginning September 17, says the company. Sohonet has been working in concert with the leading studios and content creators throughout the pandemic to develop a solution which brings full-resolution HDR collaboration to remote post studios or teams working from home.
It works over 100 mbps of internet bandwidth
The original ClearView Pivot offers 4K high dynamic range (HDR) with 12-bit color depth and 4:4:4 chroma sampling for full- color quality video streaming with ultra-low latency. Pivot Lite boxes can be installed as a receive-only alternative to a standard Pivot box. Unlike Pivot, which is provided over Sohonet’s uncontended private media network, Pivot Lite is network agnostic and can be run over lower bandwidths to support review from home.
The Pivot Lite hardware, says the company, “runs successfully over a premium internet connection but at bandwidths that make it applicable for at home use. With a lower bandwidth requirement enabling streaming at 2K with as little as 100 mbps and 150mbps for UHD or 4K.” Pivot Lite has been put through its paces in real-world settings, with trials across multiple sectors of the industry and the color technologies have been fully inspected and approved by experts across the industry.
“As our industry continues to adapt to new working conditions, we are dedicated to adapting and developing our services to match this new reality,” notes Chuck Parker, CEO of Sohonet. “Creative working practices are likely to be permanently altered. Pivot Lite provides media teams with the means to collaborate securely and productively on high-quality content at times when journeying into the facility is unfeasible”.
Flexibility of working from home
On the subject of Work From Home, Flora Muschamp, Head of Product Management at Sohonet notes “our Product team is well versed in what it takes to collaborate remotely. For tech teams, the focus and concentration afforded by working from home, as opposed to a busy open plan office, are hugely beneficial and before COVID-19 the majority of our developers were working from home at least 80% of the time. As well as providing the time and space for concentrated programming, working from home can help provide more flexibility in schedules, less time wasted commuting and can lessen the chance of burn-out which is all too common an issue for tech companies.”
Sohonet has a special discount valid until September 30, for both ClearView Pivot and Pivot Lite. Follow the link to learn more about Sohonet and ClearView Pivot.