TVU Networks


TVU Networks Corporation is a technology company that provides IP-based live video solutions. The company, which was founded in 2005, is headquartered in Mountain View, California and also has offices in Raleigh, North Carolina, Shanghai and Beijing, China, Uttar Pradesh, India and Barcelona, Spain.

Company

TVU Networks offers IP-based solutions for live broadcast. Its solutions are deployed across a variety of industries including news broadcast, web streaming, law enforcement, sports and government. TVU Networks’ products have been used to cover a number of events around the world including the Royal Wedding, the World Cup, the London Summer Olympics and Sochi Winter Olympics, and U.S. presidential elections.

History

The original flagship product of TVU Networks was TVUPlayer. TVUPlayer was freeware IPTV software application for Windows and Mac OS X to watch several dozen TV channels over the Internet. TVU did not broadcast these channels, but provided a platform for broadcasters to distribute content online. It was the responsibility of the individual who broadcasts a particular channel on TVU to keep the channel running and ensure that the content can be legally transmitted. It was unknown to the viewer who the broadcaster was. Broadcasts originated from either a large broadcasting company itself, which chose to provide viewers with its broadcast, or individual broadcasters who created their own content or captured public broadcasts and rebroadcast them on TVU.
It was debated whether TVU Networks operated an illegal service by knowingly providing users with an opportunity to watch copyrighted content without the permission of content owners. However, the company did not provide the illegal content itself due the fact that was the responsibility of the user who provided the content to verify its legality.
TVU Networks shut down service to the TVUPlayer on February 25, 2013.

Products

TVU Alert is a cloud-based service that allows users to instantly notify their entire organization or part of their organization about important information.
TVU Anywhere is an app that turns mobile devices or laptops into transmitters that use aggregated cellular and WiFi connections to stream high-quality video.
TVU AP ENPS Integration is a collaboration between TVU Networks and the Associated Press to create a newsroom workflow geared toward streamlining the newsgathering process from shooting to editing.
The TVU Aerial Newsgathering Pack integrates its TVU One mobile transmitter with drone technology to enable live high-definition transmission from in the air.
TVU Booking Service lets stations plan and manage streams. Booking Service automatically takes streams live according to a set schedule, and switches between streams without the need for an operator.
TVU Command Center is a cloud-based management system that grants full control over all TVU products and services. Through Command Center, users can adjust latency and bit-rate on TVU transmitters, track receiver locations through a map, add and remove supported devices and manage all TVU Grid content.
TVU Era is a cost-friendly version of the TVU One mobile transmitter and other professional video encoders similar to it. It has most of the features of the TVU One but is designed to be used with a single IP Ethernet connection.
TVU G-Link is a point-to-point transmission solution that allows video to be sent from one location to another using a public Internet connection. TVU G-Link 4K is a rack-mount contribution encoder that supports true 4K60P UHD HDR.
TVU Grid is a live video switching, routing and distribution solution. It allows stations to distribute live streams to a scalable number of other Grid-enabled stations or locations via a web interface.
TVU Me is a virtual marketplace where freelancers and independent production crews can make their live or recorded content available for exchange or purchase. They can also offer services for booking.
TVU MediaMind is a story-centric workflow solution for acquiring, indexing, producing and distributing live video via the cloud. It uses Artificial Intelligence and automation to streamline the production process and archive media assets for reuse.
TVU MLink is a transmitter designed for fixed use in vehicles or studios. It has the same functions as the TVU One but comes in a rack-mountable form, and is capable of integrating with satellite and microwave in addition to or in place of cellular or WiFi connections.
TVU One is a compact mobile IP video transmitter that aggregates multiple connections to decode high quality video with 0.5-second latency. It can hold up to six embedded modems, with optional support for CAT12 3G/4G/LTE global modems. TVU One uses H.265/HEVC compression and runs on TVU Networks’ patented transmission technology, Inverse StatMux Plus, or IS+. TVU One 4K is a version of the TVU One that supports 4K60P output. It is the first portable cellular backpack solution to transmit at this resolution.
TVU Producer is a cloud-based production solution that allows multi-channel IP video switching with titling and graphics capabilities. Users can edit video on a web interface and simultaneously output it to social media or a CDN platform.
TVU Router is a portable Internet access point that uses the patented Inverse StatMux Plus to aggregate communication links to provide up to 200Mb/s of secure, stable, high-bandwidth IP connection.
TVU Remote Production System uses existing studio infrastructure and a standard Internet connection for remote live multi-camera production with up to six synchronized transmissions. It is part of TVU’s Remote Production solutions.
TVU Talkshow is a cost-effective turnkey solution for live show and event production with optional bi-directional viewer participation.
TVU Timelock is another part of TVU’s Remote Production solutions. It sets up to six TVU transmitters at the same latency to transmit to a video switcher for remote multi-camera production.
TVU Transcriber converts speech to text in real time for both live and recorded videos. It supports multiple languages, can identify and mute profanity, and can output audio as text in a file format to be used for auditing.