Backblaze Introduces B2 Live Read to Level Up Media Production and other Cloud Workflows

Backblaze, Inc. announced B2 Live Read.

The offering gives customers, particularly media production teams working on live events, the ability to access, edit, and transform content while it is still being uploaded into B2 Cloud Storage, resulting in significantly faster and more efficient workflows.

This patent-pending innovation is a new type of service in cloud workflows, replacing cost prohibitive and complicated options that often required on-premises storage. Leading M&E production solution providers including Telestream LLC, Glookast, and Mimir Media Tech AS have already committed to integrating the service.

“For our customers, turnaround time is essential, and Live Read promises to speed up workflows and operations for producers across the industry,” said Richard Andes, VP product management, Telestream. “We’re incredibly excited to offer this innovative feature to boost performance and accelerate our customer’s business engagements.”

Gone are the days when media teams could wait hours or days for uploads to complete to access and start editing video. Fans and followers want new content instantly, and giving it to them fast grows engagement and revenue.

Live Read is positioned to change range of live media use cases, including:

• Creating near real-time highlight clips for broadcasters’ news segments, sports teams’ in app replays, and much more

• Empowering best-of-breed talent for any production by reducing on-set staff requirements

• Promoting content for on-demand sales within minutes of presentations at live events

• Distributing teasers for buzz on social media before talent has even left the venue

This B2 Cloud Storage service is designed to be accessible directly via S3 compatible API and/or within the user interface of media software partners. Along with the launch partners mentioned above, CineDeck, Alteon, Hiscale, and MoovlT also intend to integrate Live Read – consistent with Backblaze’s commitment to help organizations do more in an open cloud environment.

“Backblaze’s Live Read is a game changer for helping organizations deliver media to their audiences dramatically faster,” said Steinar Soreide, CTO, Mimir. “Adding this offering to our platform unlocks a whole new level of impact for our user community.”

Live Read uniquely supports accessing parts of each growing object or growing file as it uploads so there’s no need to wait for the full file upload to complete. This is a major workflow accelerator especially when organizations are shooting for 4K to 8K resolutions and beyond. And when the full upload is complete, it’s accessible like any other file or object in their Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage bucket, with no middleware or proprietary software needed.

“When working in media collaboration and production environments, speed is essential,” said Felipe Santos, head, technology, Glookast. “Backblaze’s Live Read opens new levels of performance and capabilities for our users.”

Beyond media, the API supports breakthrough new development and IT workloads. For example, organizations maintaining large data logs or surveillance footage backups have often had to parse them into 100s or 1,000s of small files each day in order to have quick access when needed-but with Live Read, they can now move to far more manageable single files per day or hour while preserving ability to access parts within seconds of them having been written.

“Backblaze has developed one of most durable, affordable, and performant storage clouds,” said Gleb Budman, Backblaze CEO and chairperson of the board. “Live Read is another example of the powerful innovation we’re delivering to support our customers and partners to do more with their data.”

Live Read is available in private preview now with general availability planned later this year.

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Organizations can learn more and sign up for the Live Read private preview on the Backblaze blog.