Project LIMES: First Augmented Live Video Streaming Features Successfully Tested at Global Media Forum 2019
,DW's and Contentflow's joint venture DNI project LIMES had an excellent test run at the Global Media Forum in Bonn last month: Not only did the underlying live streaming platform provide loads of smooth standard signals, it also managed to render the first truly augmented features recently envisioned and implemented by the LIMES team.
A dynamic overlay feature allowed for the display of logos (e.g. DW branding) and lower thirds (e.g. speaker names). Transparent info boxes (e.g. to display speaker bios) would have been possible, too, but eventually weren't used in the live production and broadcasting process. All overlays could be triggered manually or by time stamps.
Furthermore, a sophisticated multiview feature made sure audiences could seamlessly switch from one stream/speaker to the next. Preview streams were generated dynamically, i.e.: The number of preview boxes would at any given time equal the number of actual video streams.
An experimental feature based on the Google Vision API was successfully tested during the general tech rehearsal: The LIMES-enhanced Contentflow platform recognized (some) speakers and scenes/places and subsequently stored tags in a database (e.g. #lanier, #plenarychamber, #bonn)–which could be used to feed a Twitter timeline.
All in all, the LIMES team was very happy with the results. In a last minute experiment, they also used the Contentflow cloud media library to send video highlights to the news.bridge crew–who went on to transcribe them on-the-fly and create no less than 50(!) DW/GMF social media web clips in two days.
Plans for more test runs and new augmented video streaming features are already in the making. Stay tuned for LIMES updates.
