Broadcast specialist nxtedition has formed a partnership with Singular.live, the cloud-native graphics platform. As a result users will be able to add dynamic, responsive graphics and overlays into playout timelines in an HD-SDI/IP environment – thereby adding to operational convenience as well as connecting information and engagement into the live output.
Singular enables users to create and control broadcast graphics through its Intelligent Overlay platform. Cloud-native, it allows users to create custom designs and templates from a standard web browser. Completed overlays can be dropped into a nxtedition timeline by simply copying and pasting a URL.
nxtedition converted the open-source CasparCG software system to use HTML5 graphic templates early on in their roadmap, so right out-of-the-box Singular interfaces directly to CasparCG, allowing real-time key and fill graphics output to the vision mixer. The HTML templates Singular generates for a playlist are also cached within the nxtedition servers to bring speed and resilience. The Singular API also makes the templates metadata available to nxtedition’s highly-capable NRCS and automation functionality where they can be previewed and populated with content and played out live on-air.
Mike Ward, head of marketing at Singular.live, commented: “We developed Singular because we know broadcast graphics, and we know what users really need – flexibility, scalability, ease of use and, of course, cost. We are entirely focused on delivering graphics using Intelligent Overlays, so a partnership with nxtedition allows us to serve the demanding newsroom market. This collaboration is a great example of two companies coming together, pooling their strengths and delivering a really compelling solution.”
Roger Persson, head of sales and marketing at nxtedition, added: “The alignment between the two companies is remarkable. We have the same culture in software development, and we have the same goal for our customers of making it easier for them to tell their stories. It is this common language that makes this partnership so exciting.”
Singular embedded in a nxtedition production environment is already in use at a Swiss broadcaster, and the integration is to be included in the 19.4 update to all existing customers. Because Singular Intelligent Overlays are cloud-based and delivered at the time of use, it is easy to set up different graphic formats for varied outputs, or even have the graphics rendered on the user’s device, allowing for personalised engagement.