All-in-One IP Solution
Alta is a one-stop solution which allows us to easily connect to human captioners as well as LEXI for automatic captioning.
All-in-One IP Solution
Baskar Subramanian – CEO & Co-founder, Amagi
Alta Software Caption Encoder
Looking for a solution to fulfill captioning requirements in a cloud or IP video environment? Alta is a virtualized, API-powered pure software system offering all of the functionality of hardware captioning encoders. It's the perfect answer for any organization looking to leverage the benefits of captioning in IP video environments.
Transition your captioning workflow to IP with Alta
IP video production is the future of broadcasting. And Alta is the answer for any broadcaster looking for a closed captioning or subtitling system suitable for a cloud or IP video environment. Using EEG technology, Alta’s virtualized technology connects these modern workflows to our universal iCap Cloud Network — making live captioning a seamless and natural part of your programming.
Alta powers your application with 24/7 connectivity to captioning services. Both SCTE-35 Regionalization and Ad Triggering Digital Program Insertion cues can be injected into transport streams, and fully read and analyzed.
Alta’s virtualized, API-powered pure software system functions as an ideal IP video encoder, offering all the necessary functionality without the need for hardware.
Product
Alta Software Caption Encoder for Live IP Video
A virtualized, API-powered pure software system, Alta is the answer for any organization looking to leverage the benefits of live captioning in IP video environments. Alta can be deployed in on-prem hosting facilities or the public cloud to suit all modern production designs.Â
Alta supports most popular live IP production standards, including MPEG Transport Stream, SMPTE-2110, SRT, and CDI. The result is live captions or subtitles in standards-compatible formats that plug-and-play with worldwide broadcast and OTT video systems.Â
The world’s leading broadcasters use Alta to caption their content reliably, flexibly and securely. Alta is compatible with any live captioning delivered over the iCap Cloud Network. It provides easy transitions between human and automatic caption delivery as well as operational consistency with SDI workflows.Â
Seamless TransitioningÂ
Alta can be deployed as a standalone virtual machine on VMWare, Oracle, Cisco, or Microsoft hypervisors. It’s also available as a pre-packaged AMI for deployment to customer accounts in Amazon Web Services. Turnkey physical servers are also available in a range of channel sizes.Â
Multiple Streaming ModesÂ
Each VM is configured for processing either MPEG Transport Streams, SMPTE 2110 or CDI uncompressed IP video. The SMPTE 2110 Alta VM supports PTP, NMOS IS-04 and IS-05 Connection Management, and the JT-NM TR-1001 “Full Stack” specification.Â
Secure, High-Quality Video in the CloudÂ
Support for SRT enhances the security, resiliency and quality of your video when streaming over unpredictable networks like the public internet. Save time with quicker channel setup and a lower, more flexible cost structure.Â
Software-Driven ControlÂ
Alta is controlled through a web browser interface or via HTTPS API for automated control.Â
SCTE-35 Insertion and LoggingÂ
In addition to captions and subtitles, Alta channels also support insertion of advertising and content marking digital cues using the SCTE-35 standard for MPEG transport streams or SCTE-104 for SMPTE 2110-40. All SCTE-35 triggers from incoming streams are timestamped and logged to disk for future inspection, with a complete message parser and API access to the raw data.Â
JT-NM Tested 
A solution for native SMPTE 2110 IP production workflows, Alta offers interoperability between other equipment in the SMPTE ST 2110 technology stack. It’s JT-NM Tested for 2110-30, 2110-40, and TR-1001.Â
The JT-NM Tested program offers prospective purchasers of IP-based equipment greater, more documented insight into how vendor equipment aligns to the SMPTE ST 2110, ST 2059, and AMWA NMOS standards. Alta has received three JT-NM Tested badges.Â
Alta supports the following captioning/subtitling output standards:
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- ATSC User Data: (USA broadcast) embedded CTA-708 captions in MPEG-2, AVC/H264, or HEVC video streams.
- SMPTE 2038 (RDD-11): CTA-708 captions in VANC wrapper within a transport stream – for use with any video standard including JPEG2000 mezzanine streams.
- DVB Subtitles: (EU/UK broadcast) ETSI EN 300 743 – broadcast carriage of graphically coded subtitles.
- DVB Teletext: (legacy/supplemental EU/UK broadcast) ETSI EN 300 472 – carriage of Teletext coded data in a configurable page for subtitling.
- DVB TTML: DVB standard carriage of EBU-TT/IMSC Timed Text segments in an MPEG Transport Stream.
- SMPTE 2110-40: CTA-708, OP-47 Teletext, and other ancillary data packets in SMPTE 2110, using PTP timing and NMOS IS-05 Connection Management.Â
Case Study
Amagi enables global reach with high accuracy captions
The Challenge
Amagi, a leading provider of cloud broadcast infrastructure to global TV networks, needed a better way to provide quality captioning for its blue-chip media and entertainment clients, which was essential to expanding their reach to global audiences. The company had previously used out-of-the-box captioning solutions, which were both expensive and inaccurate.
The Solution
The powerful combination of our AI-powered Lexi automatic captions and Alta IP encoder enabled Amagi to deliver highly accurate captions for its clients’ broadcasts. The integration proved efficient and scalable, allowing Amagi to meet the needs of traditional broadcasters and OTT channels. AI-Media’s end-to-end solution also helped save time and reduce costs with streamlined workflows.
Products Used
- LEXI
- Alta
End to end solutions
Easily combine our Alta encoder with a caption service
Testimonials
What our clients are saying
Efficient End-to-End Solution
All of our captioning flows through Falcon. At act.tv we send the video from our encoder to the captioning server where it gets captioned by a human captioner or LEXI, and then on to syndication to social media. It’s that easy.
Efficient End-to-End Solution
Brad Gans – Creative Technical Director, act.tv
Innovative Solutions
LEXI’s accuracy was very good, and Topic Models is extremely useful. If your production has participants with unusual names, or there are uncommon industry-specific terms, entering these custom words into Topic Models works beautifully.
Innovative Solutions
Ally Brooks – Senior Manager, Production & Systems, Eventage
Simplified Cloud Platform
With Falcon and LEXI providing a fully cloud captioning platform, Eventage didn’t need to purchase and set up any hardware. All its production workflows were simplified – even for demanding events.
Simplified Cloud Platform
Ally Brooks – Senior Manager, Production & Systems, Eventage
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Alta is best for higher-end IP video workflows on-prem or in public cloud, such as 24/7 linear broadcasts or an OTT platform. It can arrive pre-installed on a custom physical rack-mount server with broadcast-style front-panel controls, or as a virtual machine image to be hosted by the customer in a VM environment.
Our SDI and IP captioning encoders are suitable for broadcast TV in the USA (in CEA-708 Standard), or in DVB regions like the UK, Australia, and the EU (in OP-47/DVB Teletext standard.)
All our IP and SDI caption encoders are compatible with third-party automated and human captioning services. However, by using AI-Media’s LEXI automatic captions or human captions, you can build an end-to-end solution without the costly and time-consuming need to integrate third-party offerings.  Â
Yes, LEXI automatic captions work with our entire suite of encoders. This includes:Â
- Alta: A virtualized, API-powered IP video encoder that saves time and reduces costs with next-gen workflows.
 - Encode Pro: An HD-SDI encoder trusted by major TV networks worldwide, offering low-cost, low-latency caption display.
 - Encode 4K: A native 12G encoder that allows you to fLEXIbly work with broadcast, live stream and in-room spaces while encoding in 4K or HD-SDI.Â
- Falcon: A budget-friendly cloud encoder that makes it easy to add captions to RTMP/S streams. Â
The iCap Cloud Network offers a range of benefits, including:Â
- Higher bandwidth audio to captioners for increased clarity and word accuracyÂ
- Enhanced security, with all iCap connections encrypted and authenticatedÂ
- Seamless transitioning from hardware-driven to software-controlled environmentsÂ
- Seamless interoperability with AI-Media’s range of captioning solutionsÂ
- 24/7/365 connectivity to thousands of certified third-party caption partners worldwideÂ
We offer a comprehensive range of on-premises, virtualized and cloud encoders covering SDI, IP, RTMP/S and 4K. Our most popular encoders include:Â
- Alta: A virtualized, API-powered IP video encoder that saves time and reduces costs with next-gen workflows.
 - Encode Pro: An HD-SDI encoder trusted by major TV networks worldwide, offering low-cost, low-latency caption display.
 - Encode 4K: A native 12G encoder that allows you to flexiIbly work with broadcast, live stream and in-room spaces while encoding in 4K or HD-SDI.Â
 - Falcon: A budget-friendly cloud encoder that makes it easy to add captions to RTMP/S streams. Â
The CCMatch delay parameter allows our IP caption encoder users to match video and audio with live captions with perfect synchronization to the end viewer. CCMatch also aids in production and clipping by making sure live captions are contained completely within a segment, without overhang from programming into commercial blocks.
Alta is suitable for broadcast TV in the USA (in CEA-708 Standard), or in DVB regions like the UK, Australia, and the EU (in OP-47/DVB Teletext standard.)