The document summarizes a webinar about using accelerated file transfer software to solve challenges in live sports production. It discusses how transferring large video files over long distances can be slowed by network issues, and how file transfer acceleration technology addresses this by using UDP instead of TCP. It provides examples of challenges with transmitting non-standard MXF video files and how the software's features like transferring growing files and handling multiple transfers simultaneously help solve these issues.

1. Webinar: Sochi Games Wrap-Up
March 20, 2014

2. Introduction
• John Tkaczewski, President and Co-Founder
• Chris Bailey, CEO and Co-Founder
• Check out our blog: http://www.filecatalyst.com/blog
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3. Overview
• Accelerated File Transfer Introduction
• Challenges of Live Sports Production
• Accelerated File Transfer as a Solution for live sports
production
• Demo
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4. What is File Transfer Acceleration?
• File transfer acceleration technology allows large files, or “big data”
to be sent quickly over large geographical distances without being
impeded by network impairments such as latency and packet loss
• This is accomplished by transferring files using the UDP protocol
instead of the TCP protocol, the protocol used for FTP
• The main difference between UDP and TCP is that UDP wastes no
time communicating about the receipt of a block of data so
that regardless of network latency, data transmission remains
constant, thus overcoming the peak and valley effect that occurs
with TCP based protocols on links with high latency
• Reliability and congestion control is added to UDP at the application
layer thus it doesn’t sacrifice its other desirable properties
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5. Growth of “at home” concept
• Explosion of equipment required to be shipped to a live venue
• Centralized production team (like OBS) does much of the camera
and event production work
• Our planet is very well connected; you can provision a fast network
connection to almost any venue around the world, this link can
then be used to transfer video and all other data really fast back to
the studio at home.
• Having file based video available to you in a central studio in real
time will help you to minimize the amount of gear required at a
venue.
• The only hiccup is that even the fastest connections cannot reach
full line speed with traditional file transfers using HTTP or FTP.
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6. Speed Gains with Acceleration vs. FTP
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7. Challenges of Live Sports Production
• Video files tend to be very large in size, up to 100 GB for a full
resolution video file making file transfers lengthy
• Geographical distances when editing from remote locations further
slow file transfers
• Non-standard MXF (Material Exchange Format) files are extremely
difficult and unreliable to transfer using traditional file transfer
methods
• Large sporting events often require multiple files to be transferred
simultaneously from multiple camera feeds or events
• Transferring dynamic file sets (transferring video files as they are
still being recorded) – growth files
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8. Challenges of Live Sports Production
• MXF is a “container” that supports many formats, MXF files can
grow in many different ways:
– Growing in the tail – new content is appended to the tail of the file
– Growing within – the initial size of the file is set in the beginning and the file is
then “filled” (like a water pitcher)
– Essence is written and only headers change – in this condition the content of
the file does not change but only the headers are updated. This occur every
time the file grows a little (as essence is added) or it could simply happen at
the very end as the file is finalized.
• During a file transfer a software solution has to be able to handle all
those use cases
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9. Accelerated File Transfer Software as a Solution
• MXF issues encountered:
– File is growing for long periods, and needs to be followed during
growth so that it arrives as soon as it finishes writing to disk on source.
• Transfer growing files feature. After every transfer, transfer checks for
growth and restarts transfer until file does not change.
– Multiple growth files in progress. Don’t stop transfers while tailing a
specific growth file.
• Multi-client transfers allow tailing of multiple concurrent files while still
allowing static contents to go through. (Extreme concurrency transfers
feature)
– Proxy file (low res) are slow to grow compared to network
throughput, meaning growth file may be interpreted as static file.
• Provide a file filter (ie: for all *.mxf files) and a pause duration, where a
transfer will wait to see if the file grows before considering the file to be
static and complete.
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10. Accelerated File Transfer Software as a Solution
• MXF issues encountered:
– Headers in MXF file are updated after completion of the file.
This causes issues, as headers are found in the first few blocks of the file, and have
already transferred across when they are modified.
Two solutions are provided to resolve this issue:
• Wait until a file is completely written to disk before transferring. Provide
a file filter (ie: for all *.mxf files) and queue up files until the timestamp
sufficiently old enough before starting a transfer.
• Transfer the file using progressive (tailing the file), wait a specified
interval (ie: 60 seconds), then initiate a retransfer using Deltas (RSYNC
feature) to capture all binary changes in the file. While computationally
more expensive, it allows for any types of header changes to be
performed and properly captured, while minimizing network utilization.
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11. Screen shot of HotFolder under load
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12. Accelerated File Transfer Software as a Solution
Challenge Solution
Video files tend to be very large in size, up to
100 GB for a full resolution video file making
file transfers lengthy
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Standard accelerated and managed file transfer
solution & high connection speed
Geographical distances when editing from
remote locations further slow file transfers
Standard accelerated and managed file transfer
solution & high connection speed
Non-standard MXF (Material Exchange Format)
files are extremely difficult and unreliable to
transfer using traditional file transfer methods
Special rules to handle growth files which have
non-standard behaviour.
Large sporting events often require multiple
files to be transferred simultaneously (ex:
multiple camera feeds)
Extreme concurrency transfers feature
Transferring dynamic file sets (transferring
video files as they are still being recorded)
Transfer growing files feature

13. FileCatalyst at a live sport event
Partial deployment for major sporting event
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14. Demo

15. About FileCatalyst
FileCatalyst technology is developed by Unlimi-Tech Software Inc., a world
leader in file transfer solutions. Founded in 2000, the company has more
than 1000 clients with a user base of over 1 million. FileCatalyst provides
software-based solutions designed to accelerate and optimize file transfers
across global networks. Being immune to packet loss and latency, FileCatalyst
can send files much faster than methods such as FTP, HTTP or CIFS, while
adding security and reliability.
To learn more visit www.filecatalyst.com
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16. Upcoming Events
- JB&A Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada (April 5-6) at MGM Grand
- NAB Show, Las Vegas, Nevada (April 6-10)
– Don’t miss our NAB session “Accelerating Olympic Winter Games Footage from Sochi,
Russia to Stamford, CT”.
– Date: Tuesday, January 21 Time: 11 am EST
- IBC 2014, RAI, Amsterdam (September 12-16)
And of course don’t forget our monthly webinars...
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17. Thank you!
Questions?