BATON ROUGE, La.—Louisiana Public Broadcasting has a 47-year track record of excellence in TV master control and in groundbreaking PBS programming. As one of the first to remotely operate PBS affiliate stations across the state (now in six cities), LPB has matured its technology approach at several key stages. We’re just at another major master control room transformation now. 

With the goal of educating Louisianians, LPB has played a leading role in many legendary productions, including early partnership with Ken Burns, the famous and hilarious Justin Wilson, extensive leadership in civil rights coverage, the landmark series “Louisiana: A History,” historic coverage of Hurricane Katrina, and great musical specials reflecting the region’s rich heritage. 

LPB manages the enormous Louisiana Digital Media Archive (LDMA) which preserves Louisiana’s media history, representing one of the best examples of the partnership between a public broadcast station and a state’s archive.  The LDMA also houses the WWL collection, making it a notable example of a successful public-commercial partnership.

Master Control Innovation
Master control innovations have defined LPB for decades. I was honored to serve as the head of engineering at LPB before being promoted to president-and-CEO last year. In LPB’s latest master control upgrade, local-and-remote TV operation is now combined at Baton Rouge for Monroe, Shreveport, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Alexandria.  This includes remote stream-splicing for Shreveport to locally insert programs, sponsorship breaks and local promotions.

For many years, using Harmonic’s encoders, LPB distributed compressed video transport streams across its fiber ring to all six LPB stations. When local programming and breaks need to be inserted, it’s best to keep feeds in the compressed domain and stream-splice, to avoid having to use costly dedicated encoders. 

LPB’s new automation system from Aveco stands out in its ability to manage central encoding, manage media operations to forward the right content, handle Myers traffic, execute SCTE commands for local insertion through control of the Harmonic platform, and return as-run logs for automated reconciliation back into traffic.

Uniquely, all of LPBs channels—local, remote and stream-spliced—are in one consolidated master control screen, making life easy for operators.

Aveco also handles cloud-based TV and streaming channels in the same system. When we need to use cloud resources, additional channels can simply pop up on the same master control screen as our system expands locally, remotely and via various clouds.

Pooling & Self-Healing
One of the reasons Aveco was selected for LPB’s master control automation was its ability to self-heal. Aveco manages pools of resources and priorities are set to use these resources on-air, in-studio and for preview/QC etc. 

For playout, all automation systems have primary-and-backup but Aveco goes beyond this. If a backup resource goes to air (e.g. video server port) Aveco instantly and automatically rebuilds a new backup, dynamically pulling from the pool, path-finding thru the router and delivering fully re-established 1:1 redundancy without human intervention. This is especially important during unattended operation for ingest and playout. 

There is tremendous efficiency found in a pool of resources, where appropriate, with guaranteed priority execution, implementing rules from LPB engineering and operations. Media workflow automation and Aveco’s built-in media asset management help master control operators with a variety of tasks and enable unique integration with the PBS sIX system.

LPB has implemented many innovations and upgrades over the years and with Aveco we’ve taken another major step in our new generation of master control automation. The industry keeps changing and our partnership with innovative companies like Aveco help us fulfill our mandate to help grow and improve our services to viewers.  

For more information visit www.aveco.com.

CYPRESS, Calif.—FOR-A and automation provider Aveco have entered a strategic alliance to provide and develop best-in-breed video production, automation, and asset management within one easy-to-use and cost effective solution.

As part of the agreement, FOR-A HVS Series production switchers, Insight video servers and ClassX graphics systems are now tightly integrated with Aveco ASTRA Studio production automation and GEMINI media management systems. 

The package is designed for broadcasters—particularly mid-sized, small-market and public stations—by providing them with an affordable, easy to use solution.

“We’ve been recommending FOR-A HVS Series switchers all over the world for years now,” said Jim O’Brien, president of Aveco. “They’ve got incredible horsepower and performance at a price point no other vendor can match. We’re looking forward to adding ClassX graphics and Insight servers into our combined solution. FOR-A’s high-powered production capability and reputation for reliability together with our production and MAM makes for a very competitive and inclusive bundle for smaller and mid-market TV stations. Having this level of technical sophistication within an affordable and easy-to-use system is a game changer."

Aveco’s ASTRA Studio is a fully automated studio production system and the industry’s only multi-studio production automation design. Within ASTRA, a rundown can be moved from one studio to another with the push of a button. This includes all settings for the production switcher, graphics, virtual set/physical set, monitor walls, camera robotics, video roll-ins, audio, lighting etc. ASTRA Studio is integrated with ASTRA MCR so both PCR and MCR automation are in the same system, eliminating "blips of black" or upcuts between these two parts of broadcast operation. Both also work closely with Aveco’s GEMINI MAM, a browser-based system that manages assets from acquisition through post for live production, playout, and archiving. ASTRA Studio also integrates with the NRCS (Newsroom Computer System) via MOS (Media Object Servers) and plug-ins to streamline news production workflows, the companies said. 

“The versatility and feature set of Aveco’s system are ideal for late-breaking news applications,” said Satoshi Kanemura, President, FOR-A Americas. “They’ve thought of every condition that may occur during a live newscast and included a solution. It’s an elegant technology that fits perfectly within our ecosystem. The combined capabilities of Aveco and FOR-A are unbeatable. Competitive products are far less customizable, much more complicated, and expensive.”

FOR-A’s workhorse switcher, the compact 2 M/E HVS-490, supports 40 inputs/18 outputs, 36 inputs/20 outputs or 32 inputs/22 outputs, including two-channel HDMI outputs with optional I/O expansion cards. In 4K, it allows 10 inputs/six outputs, nine inputs/six outputs or eight inputs/seven outputs. It also has 8 channels of 2.5 DVE as standard and can be optionally expanded to a maximum of 16 channels. FOR-A’s MELite technology extends the switcher’s 2 M/Es to 6 M/E performance. MELite is the building block for more easy-to-use features of the HVS-490, such as upstream and downstream transition effects. 

“The price to performance ratio with the entire HVS Series is unlike any others in the market,” added O’Brien.

JOHNSTOWN, Iowa—Iowa PBS has been a national leader in TV for decades.  We have centralized master control of four program streams, distributed statewide via 17 transmission facilities as well as outputs to streaming services. We produce nationally syndicated TV shows, use our studio facilities for widely viewed specials and have received many awards from our programs and live sports. 

When our Avid-Sundance system reached end-of-life, we carefully accessed all master control automation and found Aveco a stand-out leader. There are many important innovations in playout and we wanted to use them now!  

However, our transition period had to happen during COVID-19.  We were amazed at how smooth the process went—a major master control replacement, adding many new features, while no one could come on-site!  A well-designed transition plan and the workflow automation scripting in Aveco helped a lot. 

The Transition Plan
Aveco has a direct database conversion from Avid-Sundance (and others) as well as BXF integration with Myers ProTrack traffic and API integration with Telestream-Masstech. All existing media and metadata migrated easily into Aveco. 

Via BXF, whenever a trimming or segmentation update is made in Aveco, the updated “confirmed timing” instantly updates both ProTrack and Masstech. Bi-directional MXF was one of our first steps.

In the past, Iowa PBS used many video server ports for ingest but Aveco’s equipment pool management efficiently allows sharing of ingest ports for program feeds, studio feeds, archival ingest, etc. It implements priorities to ensure important scheduled feeds are never missed and provides equipment pool sharing of video server ports for video roll-ins during live production. Aveco also controls live graphics—bridging master control and production use of shared resources. 

While Iowa is the center of political hurricanes every four years, we’re also in the center of “Tornado Alley”—our Intelliweather system is integrated with Aveco master control to bring instantaneous storm updates; every second matters. 

Iowa PBS has a great staff and training remotely due to COVID—on a new advanced automation platform—was expected to be a big challenge. There were many new features and workflow improvements to learn.  The new Aveco software was easy to understand, the trainers had a great grasp of what’s needed, and our staff got up to speed surprisingly fast.

Cloud Leadership
There are many features our staff especially like in Aveco—the integrated MAM, multichannel timeline, BXF bidirectional integration between Aveco-ProTrack and Masstech, the efficiency of equipment pooling, the easy sharing of master control and studio production, ease of use, great reliability, the safe client-server architecture, and the flexibility of unattended and remote operation. We were and continue to be very pleased with Aveco’s responsiveness to our comments and concerns and their flexibility at working with us on refinements to the overall operation of the system.

Most broadcast technologists see current or near-term use of the cloud for a variety of functions—MAM, storage, playout, pop-up channels. It was impressive to see Aveco’s early leadership in this area, with on-prem, hybrid cloud and full cloud operation on air for a range of quality broadcasters. Aveco controls our Harmonic Spectrum platform on-site and the Harmonic VOS360 cloud system which we may use in the future.

TV is in another fast rate of change—over the years, there have been many major waves. We’ve found some smaller companies are the best in innovating and adapting and we consider Aveco one of these and are honored to work with them and other quality manufacturers helping lead our industry. 

For more information, visit aveco.com.

NORFOLK, Neb.—NCN was developed with a vision to be the only in-state, independent television network of its kind. It is part of Flood Communications, honored by Inc. to be listed as one of the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in America this year.

As part of our growth, we’ve become the largest broadcast newsgathering force in Nebraska, with 15 radio stations, seven TV stations, and an active online community. For coverage, we have divided the state into eight zones, currently televise three regional live-sports games at a time and have (so far) two zones of live 24/7 news-sports-weather. News story production feeds quickly into NCN’s regional news portal.

FULL-TIME EFFICIENCY

Since launching in 2015, we’ve consistently pioneered new TV technology and with plans to expand and become more efficient in our operations, we came across Aveco and were impressed with their technology and their people. 

It’s critical to be staff-efficient in full-time news channels. Aveco had co-developed the first NewsWheel automation many years ago with former CNN technology head Ken Tiven and that model fit perfectly with our plans. By combining efficient news production automation, master control automation and media asset management in the same system, we’re able to scale with great efficiency, and continually improve on-air production quality.

We saw what Aveco had accomplished with other major media companies–-ESPN, Fox, Televisa, CNN, TV Today, and ETV--and were especially impressed with their IBC Innovation Award in 2019 for a 24-news channel/24-studio project involving 5,000 reporters. Their type of NewsWheel efficiency was stunning and we’re adapting this to NCN. 

Aveco’s automation system controls Harmonic Spectrum for ingest-and-playout, Aveco Redwood graphics-and-video players, Panasonic 4k PTZ cameras, production switcher, audio mixer, routing switcher, and is designed to maximize news production efficiency through its proxy-based media asset management tied in with our Apple and Adobe editing platforms. Our football and basketball games use TriCasters in vans feeding via LiveU into our centralized Aveco master control. We use AccuWeather for forecast updates every 10 minutes, with our weathermen going live from California and/or Minnesota when needed. It’s a terrific combination. 

While we operate mainly in English, Omaha has the 45th largest Hispanic population in the U.S. and there’s great growth in our Telemundo TV station KOHA and radio station KBBX Lobo. Production and sharing of news in both English and Spanish is a great experience for our team and helps pave the way for future growth.

EVERFORWARD STRATEGIES

We’re honored to have EVERForward Strategies in Lincoln, Ne. as our project management team: Lisa Guill and Mike Fass both have vast experience in new channel launches and innovative TV system designs.

NCN mainly does news-sports-and-weather but our local entertainment programming, such as “Quarantine Concerts,” have been very popular, along with our Nebraska Huskers Football and Basketball shows and live English-and-Spanish coverage. We’ve won numerous awards but what’s most gratifying is our deep daily engagement with the communities we serve.

Our approach is to use the best tools in TV technology, along with a great staff, to serve all of Nebraska in one news operation, while greatly increasing local coverage—and do this with a high level of automation that lets us be solidly profitable. It’s great to see this working!

We appreciate our technology partners, such as Aveco, Harmonic, LiveU, Panasonic and others – we’re poised for meteoric growth and are confident in our ability to scale quickly and efficiently.

For more information visit www.aveco.com. 

PRAGUE— Aveco has debuted its new Gemini Media Asset Management (MAM) solution for cloud, hybrid-cloud and on-premises use. 

“The introduction of the Gemini MAM brings powerful tools that are easy to use, so people can concentrate on the task at hand, anywhere in the world and on any browser,” said Pavel Potuzak, CEO of Aveco. 

GeminiI manages media and AI-enriched metadata, plus timeline annotations describing any frame or segment of an asset, utilizing speech-to-text transcription, subtitles, or markers (e.g., soccer goals) utilizing secure HTML5, the company said. 

Assets are under control across all types of storage — in the cloud, NAS and SAN, video servers, as well as LTO and non-spinning disk archives.  

The architecture of Gemini scales from thousands to millions of media assets, from tens to hundreds of users, from out-of-the-box workflows to the most complex operations involving third-party media appliances. 

An integrated frame-accurate proxy video editor works together with popular NLEs and online rendering services to optimize news and production workflows. In addition, Gemini provides users with more creative power to assemble news stories and packages, without having to deal with separate and more complex systems, the company explained. 

For redundancy, Gemini MAM server components use a multi-node architecture. This means that if a node goes down, the remaining nodes continue to provide all services without interruption. Additionally, performance can be easily scaled up by simply adding more nodes.

More information on Gemini is available at gemini.aveco.com. 

AKRON, Ohio—AI-driven automation and media asset management are key components of today’s state-of-the-art broadcast facility. At TCT, we achieve this with Aveco and TVU.

TCT, a religious television network primarily covering the midwest, operates 53 channels of master control automation on 24 call letter stations in SDI and transport stream splicing, all centrally managed. We produce 12.5 hours of new studio programming per week, plus we’re digitizing our 43-year tape library, 70,000 hours, which includes many famous interviews and TV shows. We’re building a unique online portal featuring this vast amount of content. The automation of these processes into one integrated system has transformed our operation.

A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT

To use content, first you have to find it. TVU’s MediaMind AI does transcription, facial-and-object recognition, on-air captioning and compliance reporting. This is integrated with Aveco’s Media Asset Management, Master Control and Production Automation, making all content easily searchable, automatically, with a rich set of workow innovations.

We have been researching AI, MAM and latest-generation automation for the past ve years and our selection of Aveco and TVU reflects exceptional due-diligence from our team and from our main consultant, Jim Ocon, the well-known ex-CTO of Gray Television and a recognized pioneer on several key areas of broadcast technology.

To make this huge step, the engineering design teams at Aveco and TVU provided extensive guidance, especially Jim O’Brien, president of Aveco, and Paul Shen, CEO of TVU. The vendor teams along with TCT’s engineers, especially Royce Erikson on our staff, have together achieved a system that could’ve only been dreamed about a short time ago.

A highly automated MAM, master control and production process allows individuals to focus on their contributions to TCT, knowing each part is integrated into a full system. The automation and MAM screens are configured to reflect the level of experience and responsibility of each user group. To nd and use content is profoundly faster; the efficiency and bottom-line management benefits are enormous.

SIMPLIFYING THE PROCESS

It’s not just the overarching impacts, but often the details that make a big difference. For example, one master control automation screen run from home or at the TCT facility easily shows all details of every location, whether it’s SDI or stream-splicing (the same Aveco user interface also extends to cloud resources.)

FCC compliance logging and reporting used to take up most of one person’s time across all stations; with the automated system, it’s a few minutes. Finding out what was said in famous interviews of the past used to take real-time viewing and typing—now it’s fully transcribed and fully searchable in minutes.

Producers wanting to use a clip from an interview earlier in their live show used to require a staff member to quickly type notes; now the transcript is there while the production is underway.

For those producing and editing TV shows, finding content is the most time-consuming task; now media can be located instantly, the quality of productions skyrocket and the required production time plummets. That’s a good combination.

TCT has a long reputation for excellence in broadcasting. For decades, the company has innovated and, in the process, has developed into one of the strongest and healthiest broadcast groups, with particularly rapid growth in recent years. We’re poised for more.

Having an automation and MAM platform like what we’ve developed with Aveco and TVU makes expansion dramatically easier and all aspects of the company more scalable.

We’re proud of what we’ve achieved, the growth path is clear for many years to come and matching the accelerating pace of consumer consumption, in broadcast on-air as well as online, gives TCT great ways to continue growing.

Bruce Hart is the vice president of engineering and operations at TCT Network. He can be contacted at brh1@tct.tv.

For more information, visit www.aveco.com.

AKRON, Ohio—Religious broadcaster TCT Television will go live with a new hybrid master control (MC) system in mid-August that leverages a unique combination of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and MC and studio control automation to drive efficiency, save money and improve live program content.

“I’ve replaced a master control system that I literally put in in 2005,” says Bruce Hart, vice president of engineering at TCT. “I’ve been maintaining it now for 15 years, looking for the right option to transition to and move forward.”

Hart found his replacement in the form of master control automation, Media Asset Management (MAM) and studio control automation from Aveco and the MediaMind AI engine from TVU Networks. Besides automating master control for TCT’s three network channels originating in Akron, Ohio, and 22 O&Os around the country, the hybrid MC-AI system proved to be the answer for other important challenges facing the broadcaster.

“I needed to solve three problems: closed captioning, populating a database with descriptions of our programming and archiving,” says Hart.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

TCT is using four AI algorithms, including automated transcription, facial recognition, object recognition and lower-third recognition, as part of its TVU MediaMind deployment.

Not only does the transcription algorithm automatically generate accurate closed captions—thereby saving TCT on its captioning expense—but it also contributes to building a database of metadata along with the other three AI algorithms that together makes it possible for the broadcaster to derive other important benefits from its Aveco deployment, says Hart.

Integrated with the broadcaster’s 32 Aveco MAM seats, the TVU MediaMind AI algorithms are currently identifying unique characteristics that describe each frame of TCT’s 70,000 hours of programming. Currently stored on videotape, optical discs, individual hard drives and a RAID array, the archival content is bound for 925TB of storage and backup on sleeper disks from Alto under the orchestration of Aveco automation.

Unique identifiers, such as the facial features of people in shots, the shapes of objects in scenes, CG text burned into lower-thirds and speech translated to text, will one day make it possible to find desired footage from the entire archive in an instant, says Hart.

While that massive undertaking is going on in the background, the same set of algorithms is being used to create metadata for some 20 hours per week of live TCT programming, he adds.

“All of that footage will be available via a great portal for online [distribution] as well as for live program production,” says Jim O’Brien, president of Aveco.

When used for live production, the metadata will enable a show producer to search a topic being discussed on air, retrieve appropriate archival clips and choose the best one to enhance the live show—all in a matter of seconds, says Hart.

The TVU MediaMind-Aveco MAM hybrid also will put an end to the drudgery of manually completing quarterly FCC filings for TCT’s stations.

“That report is a very detailed thing, and it takes a full-time person to track down all the data the FCC requires for all of our 22 stations,” says Hart. “Now we can generate reports for each station automatically from the program data we are harvesting.”

While a significant time and money saver, today’s TVU MediaMind as currently configured is just a start. As new AI algorithms come along that prove to be useful to TCT, they can be integrated into the system to enhance metadata capture, adds Hart.

“With TVU’s AI interface module, we can use any commercially available artificial intelligence in the marketplace in conjunction with TVU’s own AI engine to ensure we are providing the maximum benefit,” says Kyle Luther, vice president of sales at TVU Networks.

MC AUTOMATION

TCT originally deployed a central-casting automation system to drive its hub-and-spoke model 15 years ago. With each passing month, it became ever more apparent the system, which relied on aging video servers running Microsoft Windows XP, was creaking ever closer to its demise. System reboots became a weekly occurrence, and reliability was sporadic, says Hart.

At the 2019 NAB Show in Las Vegas, Hart partnered with Ocon Solutions. Together he and Jim Ocon, president of the technology consultancy, identified the goal of relaunching TCT master control as an AI-driven platform—something both believed would be a first for the television industry.

Since then, Ocon has formed the OConsortium, an alliance of tech vendors, consultants and broadcasters working on next-generation media technology and solutions. Members participating in the TCT deployment include Aveco, TVU Networks, Ocon Solutions, Brainstorm, DTV Innovations, Alto, Titan TV, Teradek and Media Transport Solutions.

Planning for the hybrid master control system began in earnest two months later as TCT separately began preparations for a major renovation of its network headquarters in Akron, says Hart. 

The 26,000-square-foot facility has three studios, each equipped for productions enhanced by augmented reality (AR). One, a 40x30-foot studio, is outfitted with a Brainstorm InfinitySet for productions done on a virtual set. 

The facility’s control room is equipped with a 4K-capable Grass Valley Kula production switcher that TCT currently uses for 1080p productions. Signal routing and transport is a mix of baseband and IP, says Hart. 

Aveco’s centralized master control is at the heart of the new deployment. Responsible for network origination, control of each TCT station and two satellite dishes, the system is a night-and-day improvement for Hart.

“We will have one computer running the playlist for the three network channels and the 22 O&Os—25 playlists in total—running on a single screen that will have full control over every station and the network—all in one control room,” he says.

The system offers a “self-healing” feature that Hart found particularly attractive. “If a server fails, which is bound to happen, without having someone there watching the automation, the system will automatically switch to the backup and convert a server dedicated to recording to playout, change the router and put the video into the server so it plays out all on its own,” he says.

The Aveco system also controls the TVU MediaMind with respect to speech-to-text transcription turning it on when needed and off when not to control costs. “You pay for only what you need,” says Ocon. “When you don’t need to use the service, you can turn it off.”

For disaster recovery, TCT has deployed redundant systems at a site in Illinois, adds Hart.

GOING FORWARD

As TCT planned the renovation and its new hybrid master control deployment, Hart kept in mind it was likely the television broadcaster would continue to grow. “We started out last year with 14 stations. We are at 22 today,” he says.

“We are actively looking and planning to grow beyond that. To reliably control all of those stations, I needed a more robust system to ensure I had good, quality programming going out to all of those stations.” 

To do otherwise would diminish the broadcaster’s chance of winning viewers in markets targeted for expansion. “When you are new to a market, you’ve got one chance to do it right,” says Hart. 

More information on Aveco, TVU Networks and Ocon Solutions is available on the companies’ websites. 

LOS ANGELES—Broadcast automation provider Aveco has announced a strategic partnership with Ocon Solutions Company (OSC), an industry-leading broadcast design company to develop “software-defined master control” and “software-defined station operations” solutions.

“Like so many of the industry, I’ve admired Jim Ocon for decades—he’s been an innovative leader and contributed so much to how the TV industry has matured,” said Jim O’Brien, president of Aveco. “We’re honored to partner with OSC to bring ‘software defined master control’ and ‘software-defined station operations’ to market.”

“I’ve been working on better integrating broadcast operations for many years,” said Jim Ocon, president and chief innovation officer of OSC. “Aveco uniquely combines News Production Automation, Master Control Automation, Media Asset Management and Equipment-pool Facility Management—they have the largest library of integrations with all parts of the broadcast chain—and it’s a stand-out technology leader of the global industry. I can’t wait to introduce Aveco into leading U.S. broadcast groups.”

“The time is ripe for a new wave of technology control orchestration of all parts of TV operations,” Ocon added. “We’re partnering with a small select number of like-minded manufacturers to make a major difference in news production and master control efficiency, in improvement of the on-air look, in better responsiveness during breaking news and in better design of workflow automation across all parts of the broadcast chain. I’d like to show you my new design.”

Aveco and Ocon Solutions will be networking at Texas Association of Broadcasters convention Aug. 7-8, at NAB Show New York Oct 16-17, booth N365, and at SMPTE Los Angeles Oct 21-24, booth 111.

LAS VEGAS—Aveco is crossing the pond to attend this year’s NAB Show, and with it will come the American debut of its Redwood BLACK multipurpose video engine for production control and master control automation. After launching in Europe last year, the Redwood BLACK is now available in the Americas.

The Redwood BLACK is a software-based integrated channel playout device and video engine with IP and SDI I/Os, with support for 4K UHD HDR, integrated graphics and multi-channel DVE for production-in-a-box and quality master control branding. The unit can also integrate with Aveco automation systems.

Powered by Harmonic Spectrum X, Redwood BLACK supports 4K UHD, HDR, SDI, SMPTE ST 2110, SMPTE ST 2022-6, Dolby E encoding/decoding and a flexible storage architecture. Each unit is capable of four channels of SD/HD in/our or one channel I/O of 4K UHD. There can also be up to two channels of DVE and advanced graphics.

A studio production system of the Redwood BLACK and Aveco automation integrate with major Newsroom Computer Systems, includes MAM and provides the ability to edit-and-playout during ingest. A master control playout solution, consisting of Redwood BLACK and Aveco automation, includes BXF 5.0 traffic integration and Ad Juggler. Aveco’s integration of production control and master control operations includes automated cue exchange.

Aveco will feature the Redwood BLACK and more of its products at booth SL2808. To register for the NAB Show, visit www.nabshow.com.

PRAGUE—Automation provider Aveco is heading to Panama as the choice of Medcom for three studio operations that include a number of terrestrial and cable channels. Medcom has acquired the Aveco studio production automation system and ASTRA MAM system for its stations.

Medcom installed the first of the new Aveco automation system at its first station, Cable Onda Sports, back in November of 2018. According to Aveco, this marked the first of its automation systems to be used in Central America. Medcom will continue with what it is being billed as a three phase project when its Telemetro and ECO TV stations launch with the Aveco system by the end of Q1 2019.

Meanwhile, the ASTRA MAM system is being used to integrate all Medcom systems into one unifying platform. The ASTRA MAM database links to all other storage devices to provide a central point for media management. A rules-based transfer engine automates transfer and operations between multiple systems.

Medcom will have the ability to integrate the Aveco systems with third-party devices and be scaled up for future expansion, per Aveco. 

SAN FRANCISCO—Newsrooms of all types may be wise to remember that more and more, consumers are running the show.

That may explain why today’s newsroom technology—be it a traditional broadcast or all-digital or a hybrid of the two—is evolving from single-silo technology operations into connected, software-centric systems that house multiple solutions in a streamlined platform.

The older model no longer works in today’s media environment. That version, in which a newsroom system managed a straightforward broadcast program, has evolved into one with a journalist creating a 10-second video tweet, an editor simultaneously building a 30-second segment to run on a proprietary app, followed by the news team organizing a complex 30-minute news segment with pre-packaged material flecked with curated social media feeds.

INSTANT ACCESS

Content creators are already aware of how their news philosophies have to realign based on shifting customer behaviors. The newest version of some solutions are keeping that reality in mind by integrating existing news and media asset management platforms with new components that address how people consume news today.

For example, a new web interface in the Avid MediaCentral platform allows reporters in the field who shoot their own video to tie into a system—say, either regional or in the cloud—to search for and find more media assets. That gives journalists access to user-generated content and offers the editorial team access to a map with incoming media feeds, said Ray Thompson, Avid director of broadcast and media solutions.

“[Content creators] are trying to enable mobile workflows—be a broadcast truck in a tablet, if you will—so they can get closer to the story while doing so at a lower cost,” Thompson said. “With basically just a tablet tied back into a centralized system, MediaCentral can leverage media to produce that run down.”

Attention in news has now squarely turned to mobile. “It’s not just millennials that are more reliant on mobile devices,” Thompson said. “Social media now plays such a huge role in how news is produced.”

As eyeballs move away from traditional TV and move toward an app or Facebook or Twitter, those advertisers are following, he said. So news organizations need tools to drive viewers back to their social media and Websites.

Broadcasters now actively competing with social media; it’s absolutely critical news technologies better help cover the story and get news out faster,” he said.

Solutions like MultiPath from Bitcentral follows that same “produce once, publish many” philosophy by targeting a social media and OTT audience. Integrating with Bitcentral news production tools, the system offers a structured interface that guides a user to select and manage multiple publishing output events after the media has been created. The system also offers an Integrated Authoring Pane that allows an editor to see a consolidate views of the content as its published across different platforms.

The company’s flagship news system, Core News, includes asset management tools and immediate access to video content as it arrives to enable proxy footage editing even during ingest.

THINK LIKE A STARTUP

Today’s newsroom software solutions are also allowing content creators to think like a lithe, quick-adapting startup.

“If you wanted to do a true digital workflow with just mobile devices, you can do that,” Thompson said. “We see a lot of startup-type news organizations as well as traditional broadcasters developing a digital group. As they start to grow that audience—which is giving them a great opportunity to reach new revenue—it also allows them to form a direct relationship [with viewers].

The software systems powering these newly revamped editorial rundowns are giving content creators the ability to build a bespoke solution to fit the environment they’re thriving in, according to Arnaud Elnecave, vice president of marketing for Dalet Digital Media Systems.

Based on the stories the newsroom is scheduling and the stories you are trying to build, today’s newsroom systems can aggregate material and suggest what is relevant for the topic. “Based on an assignment, a set of tags can be used as you start building the content,” he said of the Dalet Unified News Operations solution. “You are scripting, editing, building the story [and the system] is able to extract key phrases and forward searches in your inventory.”

The company’s newsroom software solution was designed to be a single enterprise platform with a list of modules that allow journalists, editors and producers to collaboratively plan, create and deliver news. It addresses media asset management for gathering, distributing and delivery; newsroom features for planning, scheduling and assignments; and studio automation.

In that same vein, the company has also introduced “Dalet OnePlay” that leverages MAM and NRCS capabilities automating the control of devices.

“The value is that while you’re conducting your show, you can broker secondary events—such as controlling devices in the studio and triggering automated posts,” Elnecave said. “OTT is a growing trend [so] now it’s not only about putting assets together for on demand stories but it’s also about how you connect with the audience via real-time orchestration within the stream.”

Aveco is addressing newsroom efficiencies through automation and integration. “The most prominent trends in news production revolve around story-production efficiency and increasing the quality of on-air presentations,” said Jim O’Brien, president of Aveco.

Aveco’s Astra Studio includes automation for breaking news, built-in media asset management to quickly find clips, integrated equipment-pool management to share resources efficiently, and integration with production equipment such as switchers, camera robotics and graphics.

For live on-air news automation, the sophistication of production has grown beyond what is practical to verbally cue, O’Brien said. Using live-assist automation allows reliable high-end looks, and accomplishes them efficiently. “With more station groups sharing resources, the impact of this superior design steadily increases in importance,” he said.

When it comes to security, Aveco runs on the operating system QNX, which has an excellent track record when it comes to protecting from virus, O’Brien said. “To have a so-far perfectly safe control core is growing in importance as IT vulnerabilities exponentially expand, from more extensive live field IP infrastructure, multi-site networking connections, increased audience engagement and more online interaction,” he said. “Broadcasters are top hacker targets.”

MORE CONTROL

Newsroom technology is also putting more control into journalists’ hands. “Sometimes the commute times are too long back to the newsroom or [you’re using content] from sources that are not your reporters—say if you’re using social media as a source of content,” Elnecave said. “The workforce in the field wants a more fluid experience. So newsgathering is evolving.

“We are building a digital experience so you remove the borders of the newsrooms that people in the field are working in as they collaborate,” he added.

For example, Euronews, based in Lyon, France, installed a Dalet solution last year to revamp its news channel solution for multiple audiences in multiple languages. Previously, the media company relied on a more traditional broadcast approach to provide a single channel of news programming with language voiceovers dubbed in 12 different languages over the same media.

Now it uses a Dalet newsroom and media management system to tailor programming in those 12 languages to adapt local stories for local audiences. Instead of reinventing the wheel each time a story develops, the company said, journalists can access video, graphics and script on matching topics media on the Dalet OneCut media editor timeline.

“Because we have been able to synchronize, we’ve been able to free up resources,” said Duncan Hooper, digital editor in chief of Euronews when the technology was first installed. “That’s allowed us to increase by about 20 percent the amount of content that we can produce but with the same staff numbers.”

DENVER—Colorado Public Television has a great history of technology innovation. We’ve produced multiple Emmy Award-winning shows and were one of the first digital TV stations on the air.

This year we decided to expand master control automation, video servers, storage and branding and invited all major vendors in for demonstrations. Aveco stood out dramatically in software features—with many of their most impressive capabilities not found in any other system.

For one, Aveco has equipment-pool facility management that dynamically assigns resources based on need. For example, in scheduled ingest, a video server port is assigned automatically, the route is locked and, when completed, resources return to the pool. In playout, if a primary video server fails, the 1:1 backup goes instantly to air, but now a new backup can automatically be built.

Our senior staff member who approves media needs to go between edit suites. Whenever a promo approval is required, he selects the media and Aveco automatically assigns a Harmonic output, path-find through the router and delivers video to his room’s monitor. Facility management is invaluable in the large national TV networks Aveco runs—but it’s also very helpful for smaller stations.

SOPHISTICATED MAM

Aveco’s Media Asset Management includes workflow rules that reviews the on-air schedule to determine the priority of transcoding in our Rhozet/Harmonic. When a promo or program arrives late, it’s instantly moved to the top of the processing list.

Aveco’s MAM has sophisticated video search, so operators can easily search-and-replace clips. It can automatically output CableLabs VOD specs and streaming media; we’re not using this yet but we can see how easy and inexpensive it is to grow.

Aveco automatically brings in media from the archive to the on-air video server according to on-air playlist schedules. It also implements our policies of where and when to store media, including checking space on storage subsystems; when they reach fullness-thresholds, it automatically begins using the next available system. This intelligent storage management includes purging rules based on media types, future reruns, etc.

There’s almost no limit to how efficient media operations can mature using Aveco’s workflow manager.

We’ve used Harmonic/Omneon video servers for years and we’ve seen how fully Aveco implements every nuance of the Harmonic APIs. We’re very happy to make a major upgrade to the new Harmonic Spectrum X under Aveco control.

In traffic, Aveco was the industry’s first MCR automation to implement BXF 5.0, and, more impressively, it had dynamic traffic interfacing over 20 years ago, long before BXF. Dynamic traffic interfacing makes it easy to handle changes.

The Aveco-traffic interface also allows dynamic “coming up tonight,” “coming up next” promos in real-time on-air through Aveco controlling the Harmonic Spectrum X branding overlays of graphics-video-audio. This greatly reduces editing time in the repetitive tasks of compositing regular promos, letting editors work on higher value content.

Aveco uses QNX, a real-time operating system common in Cisco switches, Boeing aircraft, etc. Software clients are on Windows, Mac and Linux, with all three OS clients operating simultaneously—locally and remotely. QNX has never had even one virus or worm. It’s POSIX-compliant and easily supported and looks like Linux. Access is only by a software client. Having a safe, reliable core will be increasingly important as the industry moves further into IP.

Aveco has a truly remarkable platform; we’re proud to work with them and would welcome any broadcaster to come visit us in Denver. We’d be happy to show you what we determined is the current state-of-the-art in master control automation.

Mark Seewald is a 35-year broadcast technologist at Colorado Public TV (14 years), DirecTV and other companies. Mark can be reached atmseewald@cpt12.org.

For more information, please visitwww.aveco.comor call 818-292-1489.

SAN JOSE, CALIF.—Swiss news broadcast channel La Télé has streamline HD broadcast operations by deploying a comprehensive automation, playout, traffic and news production workflow for live and scheduled content that relies on technology from Harmonic, Aveco, Chyro and Incite.

“Recently, we decided to upgrade our playout workflow. Having a powerful media server at the heart of our operations was a top priority,” said Francois Vittoz, technical director at La Télé, in a Harmonic press release said today.

The new La Télé system is based on Harmonic’s Spectrum X media server and Polaris Play automation to control scheduled playout and Aveco ASTRA news production automation for live news coverage, the release said. The solution provides La Télé with increased workflow efficiency and reliable delivery of recorded and live HD video.

The Harmonic Spectrum X media server, which combines file and live ingest with integrated channel playout, and Polaris Play automaton system is integrated with a Chyro traffic system and IMC Technologies Incite MAM software to execute La Télé’s playlist as well as playout local news and on-air events like graphics and subtitles.

For live events, incoming video is recorded on the Spectrum X media service, which is under the control of the Aveco ASTRA automation system as is a Caspar CG system used to brand live programing with custom graphics. The Aveco system is also integrated with an Incite MAM and an Octopus newsroom computer system.

More information is available on the Harmonic website. 

PRAGUE—Aveco has made it to Hollywood with the installation of its master control automation platform with integrated media asset management as Los Angeles’ KLCS station goes into a rebuild.

The Aveco system features BXF 5.0, Myers ProTrack traffic system and Social Media Gateway. In addition, the Aveco system has the ability to customize the automation to its existing workflow, can accommodate anticipated changes for future media needs and customize interfaces.

Aveco is a provider of studio production automation, master control automation and integrate channel playout systems.

PRAGUE—The Astra Studio system is turning 25, and Aveco has a brand new anniversary edition that it has released to celebrate.

This new edition will feature a number of new features, including Aveco’s New Story Designer, a tool for reporters to specify how stories are presented on air and works with iNews, ENPS and Octopus news systems. Additional variations of floating shots that enable live feeds to be put on-screen and span multiple stories have also been added.

The update now has federated search across additional MAM and PAM databases. Other new additions to the system include a 72-button video controller hand-controller, and an eight, 16 or 24 channel flying fader audio mixer.

The Astra Studio system was designed for breaking news, sports and studio shows. Aveco will feature the updated Astra Studio at the 2017 NAB Show.

SAN FRANCISCO—It’s a theme that has swept through the content creation marketplace and into the broadcast newsroom again and again: change begets more change. After all, a broadcast newsroom no longer solely defines itself by its three newscasts a day; today’s broadcasters must reach a fickle set of eyeballs that jump from TV to mobile device to Web—often simultaneously while multitasking in the same room—and they must continue to do it faster and smarter than the competition.

Newsroom automation technology has taken note of this new reality. And the benchmark of today’s smart newsroom facility is one that meets these new requirements head-on. Today, two key features top the must-have list: a sophisticated means of wrangling multiplatform delivery and mastering social media; and technology that better links the quick-paced news process with traditional production tools.

SECONDARY NOW A PRIORITY
The newcomer and rising star in this story is, of course, distributing to those secondary channels.

At its simplest, the goal is to link together each aspect of the story creation process and deliver it succinctly to multiple platforms. The iNEWS newsroom management system from Avid is one of those news content creation and distribution systems that—in addition to allowing broadcasters to create and deliver breaking news—has made distribution to secondary channels a key priority. Content within iNEWS can be accessed via the Avid MediaCentral | UX system, a cloud-based Web front-end that can be accessed in the field; MediaCentral then gives journalists access to production assets, metadata and iNEWS stories so they can manage rundowns and collaborate simultaneously (see sidebar).

This unification is key, the company said, so that finalized content can be delivered as an integrated package across the broad spectrum of TV, Web, mobile and social media channels. Using the Media | Distribute feature, stations can directly link production with distribution to secondary channels.

Others have placed social media integration front and center in the news production process. The Ross Inception News NRCS has placed a priority on this idea-centric setup, by allowing several members of a broadcast team to collaborate on content as a story evolves, allowing journalists to pull metadata, research materials and contacts into the system.

One of the key features of the system is the ability to create and publish content to a website or social media platform directly from the news environment. Inception allows production teams to collaborate with digital media and Web groups to simultaneously work on content that can then be distributed to these multiple platforms. Data sourced from the Inception platform allow users to drive social media playlists and on-air polling.

Bitcentral’s CORE:news provides a single interface for stations to handle video capture/encoding, editing, playout management, digital publishing and archiving of assets. The system is designed to simplify the process of bringing social media content into a production with the use of tickers, crawls and user-generated content during a broadcast. Using OverDrive QuickTurn, users can record, encode and automatically deliver content for social media and the Web directly from a broadcast.

“We [take] a story-centric approach, so at the same time the reporter is creating content for their linear broadcast, they can also be creating for Facebook, Twitter, etc., at the same time,” said Shawn Snider, director of Inception and Streamline products for Ross. “These social media stories can actually be added right into the production lineup and triggered for publication based on specific items in the show.”

The system also integrates with overarching automation, and production systems like the Ross OverDrive.

AUTOMATE AND MANAGE
But as valuable as it has been as a means of engaging viewers, social media is not what’s driving broadcast news. The other key feature stations must consider is how to automate and thoroughly manage the moving parts of the newsroom production process.

For most broadcasters, that means reevaluating the equipment in their backroom, and making slight changes. For others, a wholesale revamp might be in order.

That often starts with piecing together the control process. Solutions like the ASTRA Studio 3 from Aveco are designed to control all equipment in the production control room and studio, including graphics, camera robotics, video and audio mixer, video servers, lights and backdrop screens. The system touts itself as a multistudio production automation system that can control individual parts of the production process—much like a traditional automation system—but one that has is designed specifically with the newsroom in mind.

In addition to allowing broadcasters to create and deliver breaking news, Avid’s iNEWS newsroom management system has also made distribution to secondary channels a key priority. “Astra was designed with multistudio operations in mind, including local and remote production operations,” said Jim O’Brien, global senior vice president of sales for Aveco. “There is a full management component to the system that allows users in one push to move a rundown from one studio to another if shows run long or if special events require multiple studio coordination.”

Some of the biggest benefits of the system, according to O’Brien, are the ability to make last-minute changes, the ability to manage individual equipment within the newsroom workflow, and the flexibility to work with existing infrastructures and equipment.

For example, the system gives journalists the option to edit stories—even those that have already gone to air—by retooling content, graphics, video clips and texts in a newsroom computer system, and then sending those changes to Studio 3 and on to air.

Through templates and optional parameters within the ASTRA Studio 3, stories are transformed into control events that manage the broadcast equipment. Events are then grouped into shots and presented to the operator on a shotbox control panel, in a timeline view. This feature allows the director to let devices in the studio be controlled by automation, if he chooses.

Tightening that link between the control room and the newsroom is also a priority, one that was addressed by Grass Valley via solutions like the Ignite automated production system and the Stratus video production and content management system.

Sinclair to Standardize News On Avid MediaCentral

BURLINGTON, MASS. —Sinclair is taking cross-station workflow into the cloud by standardizing on Avid MediaCentral, the centerpiece of the Avid Everywhere cloud platform. The deployment will include all 64 of Sinclair’s local news stations and marks Avid’s largest contract in the company’s history.

Del ParksUnder the comprehensive 10-year agreement, Avid will deliver its newsroom production and content management solutions to Sinclair’s stations and replace legacy technology from other vendors in the process. Technology under the MediaCentral Platform includes Avid’s Artist Suite, Storage Suite and Media Suite solutions.

In announcing the deal, Sinclair pointed to one major pressure point for today’s media companies: operating efficiency. By standardizing its newsroom equipment on the Avid platform, Sinclair will keep its newsroom technology consistent, on the leading edge of the industry, and provide greater flexibility in responding to industry changes and new business opportunities, the company said.

“Having defined and more frequent technology upgrade cycles will enable us to keep our newsrooms current across the enterprise and allow us to respond to rapid changes like new digital distribution models in a more cost-effective way,” said Scott Livingston, vice president of News for the Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Avid shares rose more than 17 percent when the deal was announced. John W. Frederick, executive vice president and chief financial and administrative officer for Avid, said the company expects the contract to have “a material positive impact on our bookings for the fourth quarter, and may lead to updated 2015 bookings guidance or pre-release in early January 2016.”

Susan Ashworth

That single point of control philosophy was also behind the recent collaboration between Grass Valley and Dejero, which announced an integration last month between Dejero’s LIVE+ Control monitoring and management tool with Grass Valley’s video production and content management system, Stratus. With the goal of breaking down the barriers between news field operations and the central newsroom, the collaboration will allow stations to use the embedded Dejero tool to access, manage and assign content from Dejero video-over-IP transmitters within a window of the Stratus system. This collaboration came after recognizing the increasing demand for timely on-site reporting and the shift in the way news is gathered today, said Mike Cronk, senior vice president of strategic marketing for Grass Valley. “The pressure to get relevant content to air faster is intense,” he said.

The integrated package gives users a centralized system with a simplified workflow for handling live and recorded content ingest. The result, the company said, is greater efficiency and time savings for breaking news coverage. Via the Dejero integration, users can record and stream content, record timelines, move and edit files, and control channel output recordings from within the Grass Valley video production and content management system. The resulting integration, the companies say, cuts a clearer path for broadcast-quality video to be transmitted from the field to the newsroom.

MULTIPLE PLATFORMS
Producing and distributing stories across multiple platforms is also a key feature of the Precis news production playout system and CORE:news interface from Bitcentral. CORE:news provides a single interface for stations to handle video capture/encoding, editing, playout management, digital publishing and archiving of assets. The system allows multiple users to work on developing stories and pull down finished assets from a Web-based browser.

Likewise, the Precis system can serve as a center hub for working with other newsroom computer systems, NLEs and control room automation systems to move content to and from a MOS-enabled production system or content delivery platform. Both systems are designed to facilitate the publication of SD- or HD-formatted content to Web, mobile and broadcast outlets.

“Precis allows field contributors to edit stories on location and move their stories seamlessly from the field through editing to the newsroom computer system and finally to air,” said Fred Fourcher, CEO of Bitcentral.

For those situations where advanced newsroom data management isn’t required, RUSHWORKS has stepped into the space with its VDESK Integrated PTZ Production System.

In a typical three-camera newsroom configuration, a single operator can manage both camera control and the show rundown. The system’s PRODUCER touchscreen interface includes a 3D representation of the news desk, with picture icons of the anchors; by using a preset, users can select a preset shot of an anchor.

Users can build a playlist with graphics and clips as well as sequentially select live graphics and clips for the rundown. Likewise, anchors can self-prompt using simple software outputting to monitors above or below each PTZ camera.

PRAGUE—Studio production automation and master control specialist Aveco has brought its ASTRA Studio 3 news production automation system to SMPTE 2015. This third-generation of the ASTRA system offers breaking news features that speed up time to air while also elevating production values.

ASTRA Studio 3

The ASTRA Studio 3 provides multi-studio production automation, allowing studios to combine major events and reassign projects to other studios if necessary while maintaining production settings. It also supports all types of playout configurations, including from the cloud, a box, or a rack. In addition, the ASTRA combines master control and news production into one system running on the same hardware and interfacing to both NRCS and traffic systems, simplifying a broadcast.

New features for the ASTRA Studio 3 include floating shots that assist in handling breaking news outside a planned rundown, and the ability to handle events across multiple stories. ASTRA Studio 3 MAM integration is also included to allow video search results to go to air instantly and integrate with multiple third-party MAMs. There is also a new Template Editor used to develop and modify story templates. Additional features include one-button release of CG control, an advanced mode for magazine and episodic studio recording, improved video search and local/remote preview capabilities.

Aveco will also show its Redwood Studio, a news studio-in-a-box system, and Redwood Play systems, which features advanced branding in integrated playout systems.

SMPTE 2015 is currently underway in Los Angeles. Attendees can find out more about Aveco’s offerings at its booth, 104.

PRAGUE—Studio production automation and master control developer Aveco has announced that it will showcase the Astra Studio 3, the company’s third-generation news production automation system. Among Astra Studio 3’s new features are tools that will help speed up time to air and elevate production values.

The Astra Studio 3 comes with multi-studio production automation, which allows all production switcher settings, graphics, virtual sets, video roll-ins, on-set monitors, camera robotics, audio settings and lighting settings to be available in multiple studios and switched between them. New features for Studio 3 include the ability to insert video search results instantly to air outside of a rundown during breaking news through the system’s MAM integration; it also is able to integrate with multiple third-party MAMs. A new Template Editor is also available to develop and modify story templates. Additional features include one-button release of CG control, an advanced mode for news magazine and episodic studio recording, improved video search and additional local/remote preview capabilities.

Aveco will also have Redwood Studio and Redwood Play platforms on display at IBC 2015. Described as a news studio-in-a-box, Redwood Studio is a scalable system for smaller studios under the control of Astra Studio 3. The systems offers a bidirectional MOS interface with newsroom systems, including ENPS, iNEWS, Octopus, OpenMedia, and more. Redwood Play integrates traffic systems and provides local, remote, or cloud-based operation.

Get more information on these Aveco products at booth 3.B67 during IBC 2015, which will take place from Sept. 11-15 in Amsterdam.