axle ai, the leader in bringing radical simplicity to video search and collaboration, announced immediate availability of connectr.ai 2020, the latest version of its revolutionary new software which lets media teams automate workflows via a drag-and-drop graphical user interface; no programming skills required. These teams are typically at broadcasters, postproduction houses, corporate settings, universities, non-profits, and houses of worship. All frequently have a need to automate any combination of ingest, transcode, web publishing and archiving steps to accelerate workflow and reduce the amount of manual labor required in the face of increasing amounts of media being handled.
The software is available for MacOS and Linux (the Linux version can also be run as a virtual machine on Windows), and is shipping immediately. Pricing starts at $3,895 for a MacOS version supporting up to 4 concurrent workflows, with one day of professional services for workflow design included. The new version of connectr adds greater capability and simplified operation, such as multi-button selection menus and progress bars. Examples of connectr users include Spanish telecomm integrator Telefonica, leading Italian broadcaster MediaSet, and NextVR, a California-based leading-edge sports VR company.
The new 2020 release of connectr.ai includes a number of major enhancements:
- Interactive user interface widgets for menu selection, progress bars and more
- Improved support for FTP file transfers including upload and download functionality
- Enhanced image processing support including the ability to apply filters
- Tighter integration with the company’s flagship axle ai 2020 video search application, including support for operations on subclips
Open cross-platform workflow, for everyone
“We want to users the ability to set up their own powerful media workflows” said Sam Bogoch, axle ai’s CEO. “Our industry has lacked a truly open, cross-platform workflow tool priced affordably enough to achieve broad adoption.” Until now, media producers have had to either hire programmers to write custom code, buy more expensive and proprietary solutions tied to a specific application such as Telestream’s Vantage (transcoding) or IBM’s Aspera Orchestrator (file transfer), or, very often, do without. “With connectr, axle ai is putting a powerful workflow solution into the market at an affordable price, and opening it up to resellers and integrators as well as end users. It is also offered to OEM partners who may license and relabel under their own brands,” Bogoch said.
The video industry has scores, if not hundreds of highly capable specialist vendors and a handful of larger companies with broad product lines. Typically, integrating an automated workflow involving two or more of these vendors is beyond reach for most customers, blocking access to greater efficiencies across the entire media creation process. Connectr.ai 2020 is intended to break this deadlock, allowing multi-way connectivity and integration to propagate over time, well beyond the footprint of single-vendor solutions.
A cross-vendor ecosystem
The connectr.ai 2020 software includes a graphical front end, connectr Designer, which makes constructing a workflow a simple drag-and-drop process. Software and hardware vendors, integrators and other technically proficient customers are able to create their own modules to plug into connectr, becoming part of large and rapidly growing workflow ecosystem. Modules can either be shared for free on open source code repositories, or compiled and sold commercially by vendors. The system supports a wide range of interfaces, from REST APIs to Java code and command lines. It also supports notifications via either email or SMS messaging.
axle ai is encouraging development of connectr Modules from companies who offer the following:
- Ingest software and hardware
- Playout servers
- NAS and SAN storage
- QC software
- Artificial intelligence/Machine learning tools
- Transcoding software
About axle.ai
axle ai is the recognized leader in developing radically simple media management software. It solutions have helped over 600 media organizations improve the way they create, share and store digital video content with media management solutions that are easy to install, use and afford. axle’s radically simple media management uniquely addresses a burgeoning need and has caught on rapidly among video professionals in post-production, education, broadcast, corporate, sports, house of worship, non-profit, advertising-marketing, and government organizations worldwide. At its introduction, axle’s software was recognized with the IBC 2012 Best of Show award and at NAB 2013 with the prestigious DV Magazine Black Diamond and Post Picks awards. axle ai’s recently introduced connectr™ software offers a powerful tool for scripting media workflows, driven by a graphical front end with connect-the-blocks visualization. axle ai, Inc. is a privately held company; its founders have extensive industry experience in media asset management for creative applications. Investors include Jason Calacanis’s LAUNCH accelerator (also a customer) and Quake Capital. Learn more at http://www.axle.ai; The company is also open to individual investors via equity crowdfunding on Republic at http://republic.co/axle-ai.
