Technical Innovation

The FlowEdge is the world’s first edge media system and it provides ultimate efficiency in Media Asset Management. The FlowEdge offers its users blazing-fast speed, smoothly operating functions through a high level of automation as well as efficiency in terms of usage of resources.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Resources such as processing power, time, bandwidth and electricity are saved due to three factors:

1. Smart cloudlet: the FlowAnt

Edge computing systems have two dimensions; the cloud and the cloudlet(s), aka. the fog. Cloudlets are specific for edge computing systems because it is in these local parts where most of the functions are taking place. Compared to so called traditional online cloud systems which do not have cloudlets but instead only operate in the cloud using significantly more resources in terms of time, bandwidth and electrical power for similar type of functions. The processing power and automated workflows of the FlowEdge system are in these cloudlets, which in the case of FlowEdge, are the FlowAnt micro-servers. A FlowEdge can consist of either one or many FlowAnts depending on the needs of the customer. The FlowAnt performs most of the system’s functions; through it the user can ingest the media files, manage the data around it and keep track of every process. It is a small and powerful device located where the user is. The FlowAnt can also convert all formats, video. Ultimately, this powerful micro-server is enabling the FlowEdge system.

2. Automation

All time-consuming media processes, like GPU accelerated transcoding, splitting, AI processing and finally uploading into the cloud will take place fully automated. Before uploading a file to the cloud from for example a camera:

- no pre-processing of files
- no manual file handling
- minimal-sized files are uploaded through the Internet line
- no editing computers need to be involved (ie Adobe Premiere, AVID)
- no manual uploading to websites or watchfolders

3. Optimization of processes

The FlowAnt processes the media files before they are uploaded to the cloud. Due to this there are three critical advantages that online systems do not have which make the remarkable difference in efficiency:

1) when a media file is uploaded, from for example a camera, it is directly uploaded to the FlowAnt which automatically transcodes the file to a minimal format. When this file then further is uploaded to the cloud, it is considerably smaller than with alternative transcoding methods. This means the files used for the upload are converted to much smaller needed online formats and processed before the upload from the customer’s location to the online service. This process takes away the need for manual pre-processing, manual transcoding and manual uploading of massive video files.
2) When the file is stored in the cloud it takes less space.
3) When the file is shared from the file it again takes less resources to share it further.

As a result of this:

- only needed parts are used for AI processing (ie, audio or lowest res video only)
- pre-generated metadata is automatically handled
- rough cuts (only parts of the needed video) will be edited locally with GPU acceleration
- unnecessary video will not be uploaded at all
- online edits of the video will be processed local, no re-download needed
- all accelerations on all of your locally independent offices or partners
- no need to re-upload edits, the same edits will be processed in the cloud automatically



The FlowEdge is up to 25x faster than online services

With FlowEdge you can speed up your media online collaboration, media workflows and AI processing.

4k video workflow:

The FlowEdge is 25x faster Arri Alexa 4k Apple ProRes4444 20 seconds duration - 2,6 GB - 10Mbit upload speed

FullHD video workflow:

The FlowEdge is 15x faster Arri Alexa 1080p ProRes4444 20 seconds duration – 703 MB- 10Mbit upload speed

AI services:

The FlowEdge is 15x faster Time it takes to get your AI metadata to your online platform-, transcription/translation/video indexer


Read more about the benefits of resource saving
  1. It is a complete system
  2. industry proven software
  3. GPU accellerated video transcoding
The Flow Ant comes as a complete system - hardware and software and ready installed. This solution has everything to start ingesting and working imediately. The powerfull, but small hardware is able to do its job in small to medium office environments for up to 50 internal and many hundred external users right away.
The Flow Ant features an industry proven media asset management software, complete from ingest, management, editing, project oriented work until the final distribution, including reports and media tracking on external platforms and social media. Its newly designed graphical user interface is very intuitive and easy to understand for all types of users.
The Flow Ant comes with inbuilt Intel GPUs, accellerating your video transcoding up to many hundred frames per second, already in FullHD formats. It also accellerates 4k and UHD formats up to over 100 frames per second. Be ready to distribute your media immediately, not waiting on long transcoding processes, even when you load many hundreds of clips onto it daily. Focus on your creative work, and not the services around it.
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Flow Works GmbH, Reichenbachstr 19, 80469 Munich
+49 89 2300 191 0