Haivision Hub and Microsoft Azure: What is Cloud Media Routing and What Does it Do?

Haivision Hub was first announced at NAB Show in 2019, and there was a great deal of excitement about the new cloud media routing service. And since then, the excitement for Haivision Hub and cloud media routing has continued to grow, both for broadcasters focused on global contribution and multi-channel syndication, and others. Why is that? What about cloud media routing is so exciting?

In this blog post, we will explain what cloud media routing is, and how Haivision Hub helps broadcasters get to the heart of the story.

Broadcast Video Transport, Made Easy

Haivision’s CMO, Peter Maag, has described Haivision Hub as the “easy button” for global routing. And it’s not hyperbole. Haivision Hub has opened new doors in broadcast, allowing for high-quality video streams to be sent even over the most unpredictable networks thanks to the reliability of the SRT protocol and the performance of the Microsoft Azure network. Broadcasters no longer have to rely on expensive satellite links to transport their video feeds.

What is Cloud Media Routing?

In its simplest iteration, cloud media routing is directing your streaming media through the cloud from its origin to its destination. And while this sounds simple, it can be a very complex task, especially when manually configuring routes that cover very long distances, as content has to potentially pass through many different networks and multiple datacenters.

An analogy would help explain this. In the earlier days of telephone communications, long-distance calls were a complex matter. You would have to call into an operator with a manual switchboard, who would transfer you over to another operator and switchboard closer to the person whom you were calling. And depending on how far away this call was, you could go through multiple operators and switchboards – a very complicated and time-consuming process.

This is what makes manual live video transport with the cloud so intimidating – users need to route their streams across different networks and through multiple datacenters, connecting them appropriately so that they will reach their end destination. And the further the distance, the more layers of complexity are added.

But, as you likely have noticed, telephone communications have evolved significantly since the days of the manual switchboard, and all you need to do to make a long distance phone call now is to enter the correct area code and phone number. The rest is automatically routed.

Haivision Hub is going to do the same for your streams.

How Haivision Hub Handles Cloud Media Routing

Much like how you can simply dial an area code and phone number to make a call, Haivision Hub allows broadcasters to send their streams over the Azure cloud without having to manually configure their routes. All that you need is to establish the input region and the destination region, and Haivision Hub will automatically orchestrate the cloud container resources and find the best route for your streams across the Azure backbone.

This is especially valuable for live broadcast – breaking news and important live events rarely happen right beside your studio. With Haivision Hub, your team doesn’t have to worry about maintaining expensive satellite or managed fiber connections; setting up the connection between the field and studio is simple. The first mile distance to the cloud has never been shorter. This means that broadcasters can focus on what’s important – bringing the story to their viewers quicker than ever before.

Microsoft Azure has the largest footprint of dedicated fibre of any cloud provider in the world, allowing for unprecedented levels of reach and reliability. With input and output options that support your existing workflows, including using SRT and RTMP to get into and out of the cloud, Haivision Hub protects video quality through the use of SRT across the Azure backbone so you won’t need to worry about losing packets along the way.

Are you ready to press the “easy button” for your broadcast contribution streams? Learn more about Haivision Hub, and how it can make your workflows simpler, more reliable, and cost-effective.