At Open Broadcast Systems we pride ourselves on in-house video technology development. On the other hand, many vendors in the media tech industry don’t develop their own video processing technology. Instead, they buy components, package them together, and sell them as a product. We are not the only vendor building technology ourselves of course. Our friends at Ateme have been doing this for decades, long before us (imitation is the best form of flattery after all!).
Outsourced development is a tempting choice. Developing video processing technology is complex. It requires a skilled, specialised team and a significant upfront investment in both time and money. Meanwhile, many components are readily available and the companies that sell them claim they work effectively. So, why re-invent the wheel?
That is why many companies are tempted to license existing technology that they package into a product and sell. It’s a quick and efficient solution, enabling a very short time-to-market.
The problem is, when you’re selling a component for a mission-critical system that must work flawlessly 24/7, relying on third-party technologies can bring serious limitations. It’s like being a restaurant that buys pre-made, frozen meals instead of hiring a skilled cook. Sure, frozen meals are convenient, but they’ll never deliver the quality, flexibility, or innovation of a skilled chef able to finesse the fine details of a product. Many of the companies selling the third-party technology might be primarily focused on web streaming or other consumer technology areas rather than the needs of professional live B2B broadcast.
At Open Broadcast Systems, we take pride in building our own technology, for example our in-house SDI card or in-house SRT implementation or Hundred Gigabit Ethernet 2110 stack or NMOS stack, the list goes on. We’re passionate about the technical challenge. But above all, we’re committed to delivering the highest-quality solutions to broadcasters and content providers. Here’s how building our own technology benefits our customers.
Speed of development
When companies buy third-party technology, they usually end up with a black box: something they don’t fully understand and can’t easily change. This might be fine if all customers wanted exactly the same thing. But it rarely works out that way. Every customer has unique requirements. And because the company chose to buy third-party technologies instead of developing their own, they will just scratch the surface in terms of customisation capabilities. Going back to the ready meal versus cook analogy, they might be able to add a tasty sauce, but not to swap one ingredient for another, reduce the amount of salt or oil, or steam instead of frying the ingredients. They’ll have to ask their supplier to make that change. As a customer, you may well have to wait weeks, months or even years for it.
By developing our own video processing technology, we can tailor it to meet the specific demands of our customers. Need a new feature? We can implement it quickly. Our in-house development means that we’re always evolving and adapting our technology based on customer feedback, instead of waiting for someone else to make changes.
Developing our own technology fosters an environment of technological excellence. As a customer, you’ll have access to this talent dedicated to serving you. It’s regularly the case that our customer has direct access to the engineer who created the feature.
Support from the Experts – Owning issues
When unexpected issues arise – whether it’s integration challenges, network issues, or last-minute scalability concerns – being able to quickly resolve them is crucial, especially when the stakes are high for live events. With third-party technology, you’re often relying on external teams with limited (or no) insight into how the system works in your specific environment. Troubleshooting can be slow, and support not as responsive as needed – often taking weeks.
Because we build our technology in-house, you get deep, in-house expertise at your fingertips. We understand every aspect of the technology, which means we can quickly diagnose and fix issues. Whether it’s troubleshooting a last-minute problem or enhancing features for a new requirement, we can provide a level of reliability that companies using third-party technology, relying on someone based in a lab without practical knowledge in a far-off country, cannot. It’s like having your own personal chef who can cater to your tastes and dietary needs.
Carefully Crafted beats Quick and Easy
Purchasing third-party technology can give broadcast vendors a quick solution, but it doesn’t give them control – and that’s the key to ensuring the system works 24/7. With in-house development, Open Broadcast Systems owns the technology and has complete control over updates and enhancements. This in turn fosters a culture of innovation within the organisation, which can then attract top talent that is interested in solving complex problems rather than simply maintaining off-the-shelf products.
The result? A significant advantage for both us and our customers. With full control over the technology, fast customisation, and the ability to innovate quickly, we’re able to deliver superior products and services for reliable and flexible mission-critical systems.
Find out more about our low-latency encoders and decoders: https://www.obe.tv/portfolio/encoding-and-decoding/
