theibcdaily Opinion
Automation in a virtual environment
Simply taking legacy systems and re-hosting them within a virtual environment won't work argues Tom Gittins, sales director, Pebble Beach Systems
Computer and storage clouds promise to supplement and ultimately replace today’s media factories, but for these implementations to be truly beneficial, the applications and solutions they deploy must be designed for the virtual environment and offer maximum flexibility and control.
Playout automation touches every
area of a broadcast television or video service distribution facility, and a successful solution will need to keep pace with evolutions across the board. Control systems that accommodate the need for broadcasters to work across SDI and IP/VM environments provide operational benefits during this transition by isolating the operational staff from the underlying system architecture. Whilst the first channels to migrate to IP delivery will be those that are highly scheduled and non-reactive, demands on the control system will inevitably increase as more playout is hosted in the cloud. Automation solutions which incorporate the ability to drive all channel variants including those with a high proportion of live content and late breaking events, or that optimise the number of channels a single operator can manage, are poised to offer the most complete solution.
The importance of media validation is
thrown into even sharper focus as broadcasters move their content into
virtual environments that may be at remote sites and have to rely on delivery across WAN. In such installations the operator needs to know that the output of each channel is secure, regardless of its geographical location. Based on standard IT technology and hosted within a distributed architecture which is capable of being virtualised, Pebble Beach Systems’ flagship Marina automation lends itself to cloud-based systems for channel origination at the edge. Its highly intelligent user interface and flexible list manipulation deliver operational efficiencies. Irrespective of where the channels are hosted and regardless of the delivery platform, operators at a central location know whether content has been delivered and every event is safe and ready to play. While broadcasters can now quickly and cost-effectively launch multiple IP channels, there is an inevitable growth in the volume of information that requires monitoring and processing. The challenge becomes how to manage multiple channels efficiently without a corresponding increase in the number of operators.
A simpler method of displaying potential problems has to be found. Our ‘Lighthouse’ monitoring by exception tool is designed to alert Marina operators by highlighting critical issues such as validation errors, timing
Cases prove sound investment Porta-Brace By David Fox
Four new audio cases have been introduced by Porta-Brace, including: a dedicated carrying case for the Zoom H5N recorder (the AR-ZH5); an Audio Organizer Case for the Sound Devices 633 mixer (AO-633); another for the Sound Devices 664 mixer and CL-6 Input Expander (AO-4WT/664); and a redesigned AO-1.5XB Audio Organizer, which can take many different makes of mixer and recorder. All are constructed of durable,
abrasion-resistant Cordura, with clear vinyl windows over display screens and controls, and provide full access to controls and audio inputs/outputs without sacrificing protection. The audio organizer cases have a rigid plastic frame and interior padding in the main section and pocket, and can fit wireless microphones, transmitters, batteries, cables, connectors and other equipment. Both sides of the AO series bag are fully detachable side panels that allow easy access to all mixer inputs and outputs. 11.B65
In the mix: The re-designed Porta-Brace AO-1.5XB Audio Organizer in use
Copyright © 2014. Clear-Com, LLC. All rights reserved. ® Clear-Com is a registered trademarks of HM Electronics, Inc.
anomalies or missing media alerts, allowing them to focus in priority sequence on upcoming problems. Lighthouse aggregates all lists within and across multiple systems, displaying a dashboard of the next problem on any channel, and enabling early intervention and resolution.
The tendency in the past has to been
to introduce new technology as islands within a larger infrastructure, resulting in
the heterogeneous systems we see in many facilities today. Virtualisation and abstraction offers a way forward to streamline and tackle this problem, but we cannot simply take legacy systems and re-host them within a virtual environment. Software and systems must be built from the ground-up to be fully distributed to be able to maximise the benefits of this technology. 8.C71
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