ASIA-PACIFIC BROADCASTING

File-based workflows have been the talk of the town for several years now and in some sectors of the broadcast industry — news production being a primary one — they have been readily adopted. This, of course, includes graphics where new, integrated workflows allow journalists to take on a more complete role, resulting in a complex on-air look achieved far more efficiently.

In other sectors, the adoption of a more automated approach to on-air branding and promotion is only now happening, courtesy of the levels of innovation that companies like Pixel Power are providing. One of the key drivers across any broadcast playout environment is to lower cost and increase efficiency without compromising, while enhancing, the on-air look and feel of a channel.

With cross-promotion also vital in a dense multi-channel environment — alongside onscreen “Now and Next”-type information — the level of graphics required continues to grow.

The key to any automated branding and promo-generation system is the level of software intelligence it benefits from and the access that it has to data that already exists in other installed playout technologies. This allows the device or devices to capture data already in the playout chain — primarily from automation and scheduling systems — combine it with sets of graphical elements that have already been created and stored according to sets of rules, and play out complex sequences based on those rules and templates. This dramatically reduces the burden on production as there is no longer a need to build and rebuild every graphic for each day’s schedule.

At the most simple level, channels that have a stable schedule with few last-minute changes, such as movie and other thematic channels, can deploy a system that enables batch-based automated graphics sequences to be built in advance, based on schedule analysis and file processing. Such a system supports the need for automated “Now-and-Next” graphics, menus, line-ups and automated versioning of audio and video assets.

Where the ability to make changes close to or at airtime is required, it is necessary for the system to maintain a live connection to both master control automation and a central store for assets. As this system builds graphics within seconds of air, it can also include up-to-the-minute information from a wide variety of data sources.

In its most advanced implementation, an automated promo system is capable of automatically running a complete channel. Such an implementation visualises the ability to create dynamic programme junctions automatically according to a comprehensive set of pre-determined rules with access to an extensive range of data sources, both internal and external.

Using the available metadata, the sequence build process takes into account the schedule context; for example, if the following programme is business-related, it might collect stock-market and exchange-rate data to create a financial graphics sequence. This solution has minimal impact on channel automation, instead monitoring the live automation schedule and automatically generating a junction sequence of sufficient duration to match a gap in the schedule. The sequence is then played out from the associated graphics device on cue.

One key Pixel Power customer has successfully automated its promo, branding and continuity graphics using an automated promo system to eliminate the need to use offline editing for promo versioning, voice-overs and general continuity graphics. The broadcaster was able to replace repetitive and tedious tasks using graphic templates that are filled with content based on its in-house programme schedule and programme metadata information. Programme names, audio voice-over clips, logos, images, animations and video clips are automatically brought into the high-quality templates, saving time and money on further editing. An asset management component built into the automated promo system links to a server associated with the broadcaster’s non-linear editing suites, which holds video and audio assets. The automated promo system can use this control link to copy assets required to build graphics as needed.

By using the latest Windows Presentation Foundation tech-nology, the system we have developed — Pixel Promo — benefits from an easy-to-use interface. While this may sound obvious, it is fundamental to the usability and therefore success of products as we move further into the IT world.

By automating promo assembly, this technology allows truly sophisticated branding while lowering the reliance upon post-production staff. This has multiple benefits: It lowers channel-branding costs; frees up staff for other, more creative tasks; and, ultimately, can provide the channel with an enhanced level of graphics vital to remain competitive in today’s marketplace.  

 

 

James Gilbert is joint managing director of Pixel Power.

Comments

Add New Search

3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."