On-Hertz brings virtual production solutions at the size of a tablet
On-Hertz is a Belgian start-up that enables broadcasters to stay competitive in the evolving media landscape by providing agile virtual production solutions. On-Hertz is only three years old, but happily engaged in discussions about the future of production infrastructure with several broadcasters. On- Hertz stands out by offering integrated tools that work together and simplify the production process. In addition, On-Hertz focuses on intuitive user interfaces that are easy to use even by people with a non-technical background, while still offering full control to advanced users.
The success of the early years
How was the idea for On-Hertz born? When co-founder Renaud Schoonbroodt started working for VRT in 2016, he wondered if broadcasting could not be made easier, with a tablet for example, or even via the internet. He wanted to convert hardware into software to seize its advantages in terms of user interface and workflows, among other things.
Before the company was even created, the first event that On-Hertz covered was making a radio show from a hot air balloon with Radio 2 (VRT) for two hours. This experience was quite unique since it is not something you do everyday. Even today, people remember the story because it was striking for the audience and it had quite some coverage in the press.
What the future will bring...
Right now, On-Hertz’s solution is operating at the scale of a studio. In the future, they would like to grow it at the scale of an entire building. As there are a few broadcasters in Europe, including VRT, that are moving to new facilities, On-Hertz aims to help them redefine their production infrastructure. This would entail using fully virtualized software instead of dedicated hardware, effectively allowing a full and beneficial transition to IP - one of the hot topics for broadcasters at the moment.
The impact of Covid-19: more advantages than disadvantages?
As everyone needed to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, On-Hertz was able to provide a valuable solution for radio broadcasters that wanted to deliver the same quality as before without the physical footprint. Since it was expensive and impractical to move the infrastructure of a radio studio to a presenter’s home, On-Hertz offered the solution of simply installing a software on their laptop. In addition, the pandemic became an accelerator for cloud-based solutions for broadcasters. It facilitated the move from hardware solutions to software, because of the necessity of the moment. Rather than tinkering with the concepts for months or even years, solutions had to be found on the spot. Now, the solutions are being refined and pushed further as a lot of the changes forced by the pandemic are here to stay.
However, just like for anybody else, COVID-19 also brought disadvantages for On-Hertz. Nearly all events were cancelled including the trade shows in which they usually participated. It also blurred the lines in terms of product announcements. Luckily, start-ups have the ability to adapt quickly.
The importance of cooperation
Through the Sandbox Hub, the start-up On-Hertz was able to connect with big media players such as Radio France and RTBF. Their success story with Radio France began at VRT’s Media Fast Forward event, where Radio France convinced On-Hertz to take part in their pitch contest Vivatech. “We took part in that pitch and eventually we won the contest and so began our cooperation with Radio France”, explains Benjamin.
Thanks to the Sandbox Hub, On-Hertz was also able to set up a fruitful partnership with RTBF. They were given the opportunity to help develop their new Control Room 42 (CR42), which was awarded in 2020 by EBU the prestigious Technology & Innovation award. Artisto, the virtual media engine from On-Hertz controls all the audio parts of CR42.
According to Benjamin Lardinoit, a collaboration with big media organisations such as Radio France and RTBF brings many new opportunities. “First of all, you put your product in the hands of many people at once and you are able to further develop your product. Mostly, when you create a product, you have your own experience and a kind of technical approach for it. Then, you put it in the hands of people that actually use it everyday. The core technology does not really change, but you are able to refine the interfaces and make it fit with their requirements.
In addition, the idea of the Sandbox Hub is that you have access to real production resources. That is the ideal way to further develop the product.”
Collaborating with media organisations of the Sandbox Hub also teaches you how to work at scale. “These are large companies that have major requirements. They don’t need just one studio, they need five or even ten.”
To summarise, On-Hertz definitely recommends working with Sandbox Hub partners. “It introduces you to those larger media organisations. It provides a good playground to start working with them. You still have to prove yourself and that’s the goal of the Sandbox Hub. But at least it provides you with an easy way to define where you can do that. Otherwise, for those very big corporations, the hierarchy and the organisation can be nearly impossible to navigate.”
At the moment, On-Hertz is engaging in more partnerships with media organisations. They have already been selected for the first Open Call of STADIEM, a piloting programme that fosters the development of Next Generation Media solutions in the European eco-system.
Article written by Eline Otte
