ATLANTA—The sun will never set for BroadStream’s new customer service offerings, as the company has announced that it is launching a 24/7 support center. This is part of an internal realignment of resources to support expected growth in the Americas and Asia, per BroadStream’s press release.

The new support center, which will be based in Tulsa, Okla., will allow BroadStream customers to get support whenever and wherever. In addition, BroadStream has appointed a number of executives from areas like marketing, project management, engineering and sales to a special task force that focuses on customer service.

BroadStream is a provider of software-based, integrated playout systems and is based in Atlanta.

ATLANTA—There is a bit of a changing of the guard occurring with BroadStream’s executive team, as the company has announced that David Bowes has been appointed the new president and CEO. In addition, Frank Summerfield is taking on the role of vice president of international sales and Melissa Preslar has been named vice president of continuous improvement.

David Bowes

Bowes comes to BroadStream with more than 30 years as an executive for manufacturing and technology-bases companies in both Europe and America. His goal, according to the company’s press release, will be to scale the company “to the next level.”

BroadStream is also adding from within, announcing the promotion of Summerfield to the role of vice president of international sales. His new role will see him direct the efforts of the entire international sales team, coordinating sales activities and assisting in integrating regional sales teams with the company’s support functions in Croatia and the U.S.

Taking on the newly created senior level position of vice president of continuous improvement, Preslar will work on look to lay a foundation on “strong processes, a culture that drives out fear, and extensive staff training,” per the announcement.

LAS VEGAS—BroadStream is set to demonstrate its OASYS multipurpose integrated playout platform at this year’s NAB Show. This software-based solution enables broadcasters and playout centers to deliver high-quality content with flexibility and scalability, and to reconfigure their systems to take advantage of new business opportunities with higher ROI potential.

With its streamlined workflow, OASYS allows content producers to improve their on-air presentations by integrating playout, scheduling, and graphics within one unified software architecture. Its cost-effective modular system architecture enables broadcasters to customize the specific functionality needed for each channel.

At the booth, attendees will see four demonstration areas showing 4K playout, virtualized machine capabilities, multichannel HD/SD/IP hybrid functionality and graphics and playout management functionality. The time delay feature can delay live playback from one minute to 100 hours, with multiple options for time shifting or delaying live feeds automatically.

These modular applications for redundancy, multichannel client and graphics options are designed to run independently or as part of a larger networked system. This provides the flexibility to build systems for simple channel-in-a-box deployments or large, multichannel operations.

The 2017 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 24-27. BroadStreamwill be in boothN5619. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

LAS VEGAS—At the 2016 NAB show, Broadstream Solutions will highlight its Oasys integrated hybrid SDI/IP playout technology, which gives facilities the flexibility to transition smoothly from SDI to IP at their own pace, using the same platform. Oasys lets customers determine which playout functions and processes should be kept baseband, and which to virtualize.

Broadstream’s Oasys platform allows broadcasters to take a measured and thoughtful approach as they migrate to IP. This solid migration path gives them a better handle on their budget, training, contingencies, expansion and future plans, while maximizing their resources and investment.

The 2016 NAB Show takes place in Las Vegas, April 18-21. Broadstream will be in booth N6315. For more information, visit www.nabshow.com.

BOWLING GREEN, OHIO—As the technical services director for WBGU-TV—a PBS television station serving northwest/west central Ohio—my top priority is to manage technical support for WBGU-TV’s broadcast television, video streaming, web and IT systems.

Tom Cummings using the OASYS system at WBGU-TV.

A huge part of this responsibility is determining the specifications for every system we install as well as setting expectations for vendor support services.

Several years ago we realized that our broadcast automation system had reached “end-of-life,” according to the manufacturer. The pressure was suddenly on to find a new solution that would automate playout of our three channels.

We had two non-negotiable criteria: budget and simplicity. If there’s one thing I’ve learned in the 18 years I’ve been at WBGU-TV, it’s not easy to keep it simple.

ALL-ENCOMPASSING
We needed a solution that would encompass everything—automation, playout and graphics—in the same system to simplify our set up. Continuity was also an issue as we had some old assets and could not justify the cost of file transcoding. It was also imperative the new system integrate seamlessly with our Myers Protrack traffic system.

There were quite a few potential providers, but no vendor could deliver all of our criteria on one software-based platform. It was only when we started talking to BroadStream about the OASYS integrated playout system that we knew we’d found “the one.”

It fit our budget, simplified workflow, addressed peripheral issues with traffic and legacy files, and alleviated concerns about future expansion. BroadStream also revealed a clear roadmap that gave us even more confidence to invest.

Our OASYS system manages two ingest and two playout channels, with on-board graphics and its Multi-Channel Web Client. The system also interfaces with Myers Protrack Traffic Import, our Sierra Aspen router and Sage EAS system. OASYS also provides graphics and audio ducking for the EAS system to update our presentation for emergency alert notifications for the region.

CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION
On-boarding was smooth and I was impressed with how quickly the BroadStream team responded. I received phone calls from their support team the day after we submitted the purchase order to answer questions related to our installation. All of the details were documented and an open line of communication was established. BroadStream’s pre-and post-sale planning and communication have set a new standard in customer communications for us.

Installation was very straightforward and took just two days to fit and commission and the training that followed was very well organized. No one enjoys upheaval, especially after having used our previous system for 13 years, but the transition proved to be much easier than we expected; and of course, everything on one platform makes playout much simpler to operate. We also love the way BroadStream provides support. When we have a problem we use the Collector App, which cleverly gathers all of the system information needed. It saves time by avoiding the need to log in remotely and analyze the system when it’s live. OASYS met all of our requirements and the BroadStream team maintained open communication and delivered everything quickly, on time and as planned, which rarely happens with complex systems. We’re incredibly happy with the system. I’d recommend it to any station.

Tom Cummings is the technical services director for WBGU-TV, a PBS television station serving northwest Ohio. He and his staff support all aspects of technical support for broadcast television, video streaming, Web and IT. He can be reached at ctom@bgsu.eduor 419-372-7835.

For more information, visitwww.broadstream.comor call 404-327-8300.