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BitFire (bitfire.tv), a leader in software-defined live production and IP transmission, today announced the addition of cloud-based live master control capabilities to the BitFire Platform for live production and distribution. Built into BitFire’s Spark™ Production Environments, the new master control interface offers a familiar control room experience with professional-grade finishing tools — including captioning, as well as graphic / bug insertion, ad breaks, and SCTE — for live events of any scale. This advance makes full-scale master control more accessible to smaller operations while empowering larger media organizations to roll out high-volume live services, such as alternate broadcasts or streams tailored for different regions and languages.

“With these new capabilities, the BitFire Platform closes a critical gap in the transition to live production in the cloud,” said Jim Akimchuk, President and CEO at BitFire. “Whether producing one event or many simultaneously, production teams can now add a sophisticated layer of control and presentation — including live captioning, squeeze-back advertising, and playlist-driven break playout — without the cost or limitations of traditional master control rooms.”

BitFire’s live master control interface allows users to finish and master live shows without relying on downstream facilities. Accessible via an on-demand, cloud-based environment that allows for unlimited scalability, it brings professional orchestration and control to use cases in which traditional master control isn’t practical or economically viable. 

From a single cloud-based interface, operators can insert closed captions using iCap-compatible workflows with EEG/AI-Media to meet established broadcast standards, as well as trigger SCTE-104/35 markers for downstream dynamic or server-side ad insertion. The system can automate break playout and playlist execution using standardized BXF files or manual triggers, execute advanced ad formats such as squeeze-back and picture-in-picture using Spark’s powerful switcher engine, and deliver finished, broadcast-quality transport streams with embedded captions, SCTE triggers, and metadata for either SDI or IP distribution.

By leveraging the BitFire Transmission Network from contribution to distribution, real-time, synchronized delivery of multiple versions of a broadcast becomes simple and scalable, whether you’re delivering to one destination or hundreds. Because the BitFire Platform brings full-scale master control to the cloud, operators can configure redundant transmission with multiple paths into and out of the cloud, eliminating reliance on a single feed.

“With the addition of live master control to the BitFire Platform, we’re giving users even greater confidence that they can move forward with cloud-native workflows while maintaining quality, reliability, and control,” added Akimchuk. “Representing the first truly scalable, broadcast-quality master control solution in the cloud, this capability is already being used on national and international broadcasts of high-profile live sports, where it’s being leveraged to manage redundant feeds, HDR conversions, captioning, and SCTE ad triggers.”

BitFire’s Live Master Control is now part of a comprehensive suite of cloud-based production tools including switchers, replay, audio mixing, multiviewers, intercom, and IP transmission. Always backed by BitFire’s world-class TechOps™ engineering support team, you can be confident in your ability to design, use, and scale reliable solutions that improve your workflows.

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Today’s live broadcasts demand production workflows that are lean yet agile — that ensure quality while reducing cost and complexity. Built on the BitFire Platform, BitFire’s Remote Integration Model (REMI) meets that challenge head on.

Designed by a team with deep roots in broadcast engineering, the BitFire Platform supports a flexible REMI model that adapts readily to the needs of any production team, whether for broadcast and sports, corporate events, or live entertainment. The BitFire REMI model offers a modern, cloud-enabled approach to broadcast-grade live production that improves scalability, reliability, and control for projects and teams of all sizes and configurations.

Here’s how it works and why it’s different.

Cloud-Native and Hybrid-Friendly

A software-defined production and transmission platform that’s accessible from a single browser-based interface, the BitFire Platform enables production teams to start, manage, and execute an entire production in the cloud.

Modular, cloud-enabled switcher, replay, and audio mixer tools can be spun up in an instant, in any configuration and at any scale. These production tools are controlled via web browser or through operators’ preferred compatible hardware. Talent and staff contribute remotely. Video routing is as simple as picking a source and destination, then hitting save. Transmission never touches the ground.

When it’s beneficial to integrate on-prem resources into the mix, the platform supports a hybrid configuration^[a].

Efficient Scaling, for One Event or Many

BitFire’s REMI model not only simplifies scaling to accommodate large events but also enables centralized teams to manage multiple productions simultaneously. When additional talent is needed to pull off a production, trusted professionals working anywhere can join the team seamlessly — again, via a secure browser-based interface — without complex logistics around scheduling and travel.

On days when there are more than one game on the schedule, the BitFire REMI model enables a single team of producers and engineers to oversee several live games from one central control room^[b]. In both cases, the BitFire approach reduces travel costs and resource strain while maintaining consistent production values across events.

Built for Reliability

While traditional production setups often depend on extensive on-location deployments of equipment, the BitFire REMI model shifts key production elements to the cloud. Relying only on compact network-connected infrastructure at the venue, BitFire reduces the number of physical failure points, as well as the overall time and cost associated with setup and the production itself.

This means, for example, that a broadcast van at a sports venue can operate without a full intercom or audio board on site. Instead, all communication and audio routing can flow through the BitFire network, allowing remote engineers to manage the show from anywhere with a high-speed connection.

Because the platform uses AES67 multicast audio, every BitFire Engine on site or in the cloud has access to the full set of audio channels. If any individual engine encounters a failure, the broadcast can continue uninterrupted. Video feeds are similarly protected. Distributing camera sources across multiple engines, the platform removes single points of failure and adds an extra layer of resilience to each production.

Seamless Global Distribution

Together, BitFire’s industry-leading transport network and production technology enable high-fidelity, ultra-low latency remote video production from anywhere with an internet connection. As a result, the BitFire REMI model isn’t just about agile, high-quality production, but also about where and how a team can deliver.

During the 2024 MLB Postseason, for example, BitFire enabled MLB Network to remotely produce and distribute localized broadcasts to international markets. Commentary was added in real time, graphics were mixed live, and all content was delivered via the cloud — with no need for dedicated satellite paths or physical infrastructure in each target country. This level of flexibility opens new possibilities for global distribution, even on short timelines.

Moreover, because the BitFire Platform synchronizes all incoming feeds by default, there is no need for manual alignment or downstream correction. From the first frame to the last, BitFire keeps everything in time, giving producers one less thing to worry about during a live broadcast.

Transparent Pricing and Unparalleled Support

From the moment a user goes to spin up a new BitFire Spark Production Environment on the BitFire Platform, they see exactly what the instance will cost while running and while at rest. Users know what they will pay, and they pay only for what they use.

Though the web-based interface of the BitFire Platform makes it easy for users to launch a REMI production on their own, the BitFire team is ready 24/7 to provide support as needed. Whether undertaking pre-event diagnostics or real-time monitoring, engineers at the BitFire NOC work day in and day out to ensure every broadcast runs smoothly.

The Future of Live Production

Because it can deliver so much flexibility without compromise, remote production is becoming the new normal for many live broadcasts. Offering exceptional reliability, scalability, and quality, BitFire’s REMI model is one reason for this shift. Using the BitFire Platform, teams can take video and audio from any venue and deliver it with confidence to its destination. For broadcasters, sports leagues, and content producers, it’s a smarter way to deliver the live experiences their viewers demand.

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Why BitFire: A Smarter Approach to Live Cloud Production

As a team with decades of experience in broadcast, we saw the growing need for a broadcast-grade live production and transmission platform that combines the best of traditional workflows with the flexibility and scalability of the cloud. (As well as best-in-class transport technology.)

The result, the BitFire Platform, delivers all that to radically reduce the cost, complexity, and constraints traditionally associated with production workflows. And by doing that, the platform makes agile remote and hybrid production workflows more accessible and cost-effective for everyone.

A Fully Integrated Platform for Live Production

The BitFire Platform is a complete software-defined solution for modern production workflows. This fully integrated ecosystem includes the award-winning BitFire Spark™ Production Environments, Inferno™ Command Center, and FireBridge Connect, along with our renowned (and patented) IP transport network. Accessible through a unified web-based control surface, all these components work together seamlessly and ensure broadcast-grade operations with deterministic latency and frame-accurate synchronization.

Spark: Unlimited Scalability and Flexibility
At the heart of the platform, Spark mirrors the logic and feel of a traditional production environment while running entirely in the cloud. A new user can create a BitFire Platform account (here at bitfire.tv) and begin configuring a Spark environment within minutes, quickly building a control from software-defined tools for switching, audio mixing, replay, multiviewing, intercom, and clip playback.

Spark lets you spin up what you need, when you need it, from any location, and control all of it using one clean, intuitive interface. Because it’s a scalable environment, it can be configured to meet the needs of larger broadcasters and media organizations, as well as smaller content and live event producers. They can select and size their Spark production environment to meet the demands of specific one-off events, or spin saved configurations up and down for recurring productions.

Inferno: Centralized Control and Monitoring
The BitFire Inferno Command Center offers a centralized, web-based dashboard for managing all aspects of production and transmission. As a result, operators can oversee every part of the live production chain, from signal acquisition and routing to encoder/decoder health, intercom assignments, multiview layouts, and remote operator access. Everything flows through a single interface, reducing complexity and streamlining operations.

With built-in support for BitFire’s FlightPath™, Inferno provides live telemetry and performance stats on all devices and connections. That means instant visibility into packet loss, sync, latency, jitter, and more, helping production teams to catch and correct issues before they become problems.

FireBridge Connect: Seamless Collaboration
Designed to bring the power of a broadcast control room to any device, anywhere, with no software installation required, FireBridge Connect enables producers, directors, engineers, and on-air talent to collaborate in real time, whether working from a studio, on location, or from home. Connecting seamlessly with other BitFire components, including Inferno Command Center and Spark Production Environments, FireBridge Connect gives all remote collaborators and contributors a unified production experience.

BitFire Transport: Best-in-Class Transmission
The foundational backbone of the BitFire Platform, the BitFire Transport Network is our purpose-built, IP-based transmission infrastructure designed to move live broadcast-quality video and audio signals reliably and with ultra-low latency across the globe. It’s not a third-party CDN or a patched-together mix of open-source tools. We built it from the ground up specifically for live production, and that shows in the network’s real-time performance, sub-half-second glass-to-glass latency, and deterministic sync across feeds.

BitFire Transport has powered everything from Major League Baseball’s Opening Day in Seoul to political debates, esports tournaments, and high-profile corporate broadcasts. It’s field-tested under pressure and built for the unpredictability of live production.

Designed for Scale, Built for Control

For broadcasters, leagues, and content creators looking to modernize their workflows, BitFire provides the control of traditional infrastructure with the flexibility of the cloud. Whether producing a single live event or managing a complex multi-network broadcast, content producers can adapt their BitFire implementation to fit the job. From pop-up productions to ongoing remote workflows, the platform supports a wide range of applications — all backed by our 24/7 NOC and expert support.

Contact us today for a BitFire Platform demo. Learn how it can give your production team greater freedom in creating and delivering high-quality content.

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