Cloud playout
Cloud playout is running a scheduled, always-on video channel from cloud servers instead of a broadcast control room full of hardware. An operator builds a rundown, a timed list of programmes, live feeds, breaks and fallback content, and the playout system plays it out as one continuous live stream. That stream can feed your own app, smart TV apps, FAST platforms or social channels. The schedule, switching and monitoring that used to need dedicated servers and staff in one room run as software you control from a browser.
How does cloud playout work?
A cloud playout system has a scheduler and a playout engine. The scheduler holds the rundown: which item airs at which time, where the breaks fall, and when to switch to a live input. The playout engine reads that rundown in real time, pulls each file from storage, decodes it and, in most systems, re-encodes everything into a single continuous output, so viewers never see a gap between programmes.
Live inputs arrive over RTMP, RTMPS or SRT and are switched into the output at their slot, then the engine returns to recorded content when the live segment ends. If an item is missing or a live feed fails, a fallback (a filler programme, loop or slate) plays instead of black. The output is packaged as a live stream, usually HLS, and can also be pushed to other platforms over RTMP. Break markers such as SCTE-35 are written into the stream for ad systems downstream.
Cloud playout vs. traditional playout
Traditional playout runs on dedicated servers in a broadcast facility, with video routers, graphics machines and a master control room staffed around the clock. Output usually goes to satellite, cable headends or terrestrial transmitters. Adding a channel means buying and racking more equipment.
Cloud playout replaces that hardware with software instances. A channel can be created, tested and retired without a capital purchase, and operators can work from a browser anywhere. Inputs and outputs are IP streams, which fits streaming apps, smart TVs and FAST platforms directly. The trade-offs are different, not absent. Cloud playout depends on network paths into and out of the cloud, so contribution links for live inputs need care, and broadcasters with satellite distribution obligations may still need a path into that world. For channels that live on the internet, cloud playout is the natural fit.
What does a cloud playout system include?
At minimum, a cloud playout system needs a media library, a scheduler and a playout engine. The library holds conformed programmes, with consistent frame rate, resolution and audio levels, so items do not jump in picture or loudness at each join. The scheduler lets operators place items by time slot, repeat blocks and plan breaks days ahead.
The engine needs live switching, so the channel can cut to a match or a prayer and come back, and fallback handling so missing media or a lost feed never shows black. Operators need a preview of what is on air and the ability to change the rundown mid-air. Output needs packaging for streaming, optional restreaming to other platforms, and cue markers for ads. Finally, per-channel monitoring of viewers, startup, rebuffering and errors tells operators whether the channel is healthy everywhere it plays.
How is cloud playout priced?
Cloud playout is usually priced per channel, either per month or per hour the channel runs. Because a channel runs around the clock, a per-hour rate effectively becomes a monthly figure, and the number of channels drives the bill more than the size of the library.
Around that core, check what else is billed separately. Storage for the library may be charged per gigabyte or per minute stored, sometimes in bands that change price as the library grows. Delivery to viewers is typically billed per viewer-minute or per gigabyte. Live inputs, restreaming, graphics and ad insertion can each be add-ons. Some systems also charge more for higher output resolutions. To compare options, model one channel for a month with your real library size, live hours and expected audience, rather than reading a single headline rate.
How does FastPix handle cloud playout?
FastPix Cloud Playout schedules on-demand and live content into 24/7 linear channels, including FAST, linear TV and simulive formats, without broadcast hardware. You program by time slot against the whole FastPix library, with no storage bands, so the titles already uploaded and encoded through the on-demand pipeline are available to schedule.
A single rundown can mix on-demand titles and live inputs. The channel cuts to live and back automatically at the scheduled slot, and fallback content fills any gap, so the channel never goes dark. Operators work in a browser-based control room: preview what is on air and change the rundown mid-air. SCTE-35 markers signal ad breaks for your ad partner, who chooses and inserts the ads.
Each channel can be simulcast to YouTube Live, Facebook Live, Twitch or any RTMP(S) endpoint, with status per destination. Per-channel analytics from Video Data show concurrent viewers, watch time, startup, rebuffering and errors. FastPix built Cloud Playout for creators, education platforms, faith and community broadcasters and local media starting an always-on channel, and for broadcasters and rights holders consolidating several channels in one place.
Pricing is per channel: $99 per channel a month, with a 14-day trial to build and run a channel before you pay. Adding a channel adds one more channel fee, not hardware.
Related reading
- Cloud playout: why it matters and how to launch a channel
- How to broadcast 24/7 live content without managing servers
- How to build a 24/7 sports channel with cloud playout
Watch: How FastPix Cloud Playout Works | Program, Deliver, & Monetize Channels
