automation & asset management feature
If there is one word which can characterise the past 10 years within broadcast it is ‘change’, and the rate of that change is accelerating. A decade ago it would not have been uncommon for automation systems to go on air and remain relatively constant for five years or more, with the basic operation and workflow of the system remaining static - but the days of ‘set it and forget it’ are gone. The broadcaster is increasingly subject to new operational, fiscal and environmental pressures, and new products have been developed to cater for these changing needs. Ian Cockett from Pebble Beach Systems reports.
where space is at a premium. This approach offers straightforward setup, minimal cabling issues, reduced launch time and, in some cases, lower costs. But not all of the solutions scale well: to run multiple channels requires multiple boxes (and operators) so, despite saving money, the cost of ownership can actually be higher once the additional operator costs are factored in. It is also still the case that the integrated graphics, subtitling and DVE capabilities cannot match the sophisticated dedicated functionality offered by discrete best of breed products, and some of the solutions on offer will struggle to cope with the demands of dynamic channels that have a lot of live content, such as rolling news, sports, and magazine programmes.
The changing face of automation O
ne of the most interesting developments has been the ‘channel in a box’ phenomenon, which has been proven to work well for simple channels and
developed Dolphin. As a powerful, flexible and cost-effective integrated channel device that operates under Pebble Beach Systems’ automation control, it integrates seamlessly into a complex multichannel system which might incorporate independent video server, graphics or captioning devices for prime channels, Dolphin for lower cost channels, and ‘hybrid’ channels which mix Dolphin with best-of-breed discrete devices. The operational advantage of this approach is that, regardless of the underlying channel technology, the user is presented with the same interface and can control multiple channels of varying complexity through a single system.
Next generation automation
Clearly there is a need for a solution which can operate as a standalone product, and integrate successfully into a larger system which incorporates other playout devices. To meet this need, Pebble Beach Systems has
There remains a need for independent enterprise level automation systems which provide an overarching control layer, and can cope with frequent and complex changes. Today’s broadcast facilities typically comprise many different IT systems from scheduling and traffic through to content management and ingest, archive management, playout automation and content delivery. In addition, broadcasters typically still have large
Ian Cockett from Pebble Beach Systems.
amounts of legacy hardware that will need to be controlled for several years into the future. Growing demands for improved efficiencies, more channels, and new formats and services are now the norm.
Pebble Beach Systems’ Marina is a next generation enterprise level automation solution which is designed to integrate with legacy hardware and systems whilst leveraging new technologies and devices such as integrated channel-in-a-box servers. When German broadcaster ZweitesDeutschesFernsehen came to us with a requirement to launch six new HD channels, each with a high degree of live content, and the need for over 40 operator positions which required controlled access across multiple systems, Marina was an ideal fit. Controlling Nexio video servers, Evertz transmission mixers and routers, subtitlers, keyers, VPS, graphics and many other devices in the transmission chains, the system was also required to integrate with Blue Order content management system (CMS) and ZDF’s own in-house traffic system to provide a streamlined, resilient workflow. This ability to meet the specific, mission-critical requirements of today’s
www.ibeweb.com l january/february 2011 l ibe l 17
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