MONTREAL—New Delhi Television Ltd. (NDTV), one of India’s leading news and digital journalism companies, has selected Grass Valley to modernize its media asset management systems and to provide technologies that will enhance collaboration across its global teams.

As part of that effort, NDTV implemented Grass Valley’s Framelight X solution, which is powered by Grass Valley’s AMPP OS platform, to consolidate media assets, preserve metadata, and provide a unified, browser-accessible platform for managing and distributing content. Recently implemented, the deployment is designed to streamline workflows and improve operational efficiency.

Founded in 1988 and headquartered in New Delhi, NDTV is a pioneer in Indian news and digital journalism. Operating under AMG Media Networks Ltd, it reaches audiences across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, South Africa, the Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, Mauritius and SAARC countries.

Grass Valley reported that the migration project involves transferring high-resolution media from NDTV’s existing GV Stratus system to the Framelight X storage pool, with Stratus Rules managing the migration process. Associated metadata is safely transferred alongside the content to ensure immediate accessibility in Framelight X, while automated workflows generate new proxy files, simplifying access and enabling faster collaboration. By consolidating assets into a single intuitive platform, NDTV gains a more efficient and flexible system that empowers teams to collaborate seamlessly across multiple regions.

“Our priority was to modernize our content management system while ensuring that none of our existing assets or metadata were lost in the process,” explained Dinesh Singh, chief technology officer at NDTV. “Framelight X has given us exactly what we needed: a seamless migration path, powerful asset management, and the confidence that our teams can collaborate more efficiently across platforms. This has been a 100% successful deployment.”

Evan Boyd, senior vice president for APAC at Grass Valley, added that “NDTV has been a trusted partner for many years, and we are proud to continue supporting their transformation journey. With Framelight X, NDTV is not only modernizing its content workflows but also future-proofing its operations to scale with evolving digital demands. This project demonstrates the strength of Grass Valley’s AMPP in delivering efficient, flexible, and collaborative solutions for media organizations worldwide.”

Grass Valley will be exhibiting at Broadcast India in Mumbai between Oct. 14-16 on stand D04.

In the last few years, video streaming has evolved from viewers watching the latest sitcoms and movies in HD to premium live events streaming across a wide range of devices, creating a critical demand for scalable cloud infrastructure. While early streaming was limited by bandwidth and server constraints, today’s audiences expect high-quality, uninterrupted content on-demand, regardless of their location or device.

The Benefits of Cloud-Native Infrastructure and SaaS
The cloud is proving to be essential for content owners to scale their offerings rapidly and efficiently, ensuring they meet rising consumer expectations and handle traffic spikes without compromising quality. A clear example of this was the NFL playoff game streamed by Peacock earlier this year, which demonstrated the cloud’s capabilities to handle an unprecedented demand. With exclusive streaming rights, the event reached tens of millions of viewers and consumed 30% of the U.S. internet bandwidth—a first in streaming history. This event underscored cloud infrastructure’s ability to scale swiftly, absorbing massive peaks in demand just before the game started, while maintaining impressive video quality throughout.

However, meeting today’s video streaming demands requires more than just a generic cloud deployment. Service providers need a highly resilient architecture to ensure uninterrupted service, as there’s no room for failure during such high-profile events. Building a super-resilient cloud-based setup involves deploying applications across multiple cloud regions with geo-synchronization to prevent disruptions in case of regional outages. A multi-CDN approach, paired with a smart load balancer, distributes traffic effectively across networks, enhancing reliability. Additionally, extensive testing and preparation are crucial to predict and provision resources, such as CPU capacity, based on anticipated viewer numbers. By rigorously testing for the highest possible audience, streaming providers can be confident in their ability to deliver seamless experiences during even the largest live events.

Meeting today’s streaming demands also requires flexibility and cost efficiency. The cost effectiveness of cloud infrastructure is unmatched compared with traditional on-premises systems. Hosting a major event, such as an NFL playoff game, on-premises would require a substantial, expensive investment in hardware, installation, wiring, power and maintenance, all for an event that lasts just a few hours. This setup would need to be sized for peak demand, which might only occur once a year, making it financially impractical. In contrast, the cloud allows streaming providers to access significant CPU resources as needed, scaling up for a few hours to handle the peak demand and then scaling down after the event, making it a far more cost-efficient solution.

SaaS takes this a step further by providing an end-to-end managed service, which is especially beneficial for live sports streaming. With a SaaS solution, video service providers have an entire DevOps team at their fingertips, extending support beyond just the technical setup. This includes hands-on engagement before, during and after the event. Before the event, the DevOps team works closely with service providers to ensure all venue signals are functioning properly. During the event, the team actively monitors the cloud platform’s performance, making real-time adjustments as needed. Finally, after the event, they provide a summary and collaborate with the service provider to identify areas for improvement in preparation for future events. This level of proactive, comprehensive support ensures the highest quality of service, helping providers meet the high expectations of live sports audiences while optimizing operational efficiency.

Cloud Solutions are Driving Streaming Innovation
A significant benefit of leveraging the cloud for video streaming is its ability to fuel innovation. Cloud solutions are driving rapid innovation in the streaming industry by drastically reducing the time to market for new services, keeping platforms competitive in an ever-evolving landscape. Unlike traditional on-premises deployments—which require lengthy processes like system design, procurement, installation and testing, often taking months—cloud-based solutions allow streaming services to go live in a matter of days or weeks. With a SaaS solution, there’s no need to over-engineer for peak demand; the architecture scales automatically, and providers only pay for what they use. This flexibility enables streaming providers to launch offerings quickly, focus on marketing to accelerate adoption and gauge success rapidly. If a service needs improvement, new features can be introduced or refined instantly.

Moreover, SaaS solutions free service providers from the complexities of platform maintenance, allowing them to focus entirely on defining and marketing the service. As soon as a new feature or capability is developed, it’s delivered directly to subscribers. This fast feedback loop, enabled by cloud and SaaS, fosters a continuous cycle of innovation, as new ideas can be quickly tested, refined and implemented. In this way, cloud solutions are a powerful enabler for streaming platforms to remain agile, responsive to viewer demands and competitive in a crowded, fast-paced market.

Why Partnerships Between Technology and Cloud Providers are Crucial
Partnerships between major cloud providers and technology providers are essential for fostering innovation and enabling low-latency streaming. Collaboration allows R&D teams to stay informed about the best practices recommended by each cloud provider. This includes optimal ways to use cloud nodes, storage solutions and inter- or intraregion connectivity, all of which are crucial for delivering low-latency streaming services.

In addition, partnerships with cloud providers open doors to advanced AI services that can be integrated into video workflows, driving efficiency and enhancing viewer experience. For instance, AI-driven tools hosted on cloud platforms can automatically generate closed captions, translate voices into multiple languages, or extract valuable metadata like highlights or ad markers from live content. This automation streamlines the video pipeline, while AI-based personalization options—such as customizing data or content presented to viewers—boost fan engagement.

Conclusion
To meet the expectations of today’s viewers, content providers are leveraging cloud infrastructure, which allows for rapid scaling to handle millions of simultaneous streams. This scalability is crucial, especially during peak times like major sporting events, where server demands can skyrocket. Cloud platforms provide the flexibility to automatically adjust resources up or down based on real-time demand, ensuring seamless delivery and outstanding quality while optimizing costs.

PARIS—Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), Ireland’s national public-service media company, has chosen Dalet to develop and implement a state-of-the-art content management ecosystem, the company said.

As part of the agreement, Dalet will provide a scalable, flexible and collaborative media asset-management and workflow orchestration platform that will serve as the foundation to manage RTÉ archival workflows as well as production workflows connected to its content, such as video editing.

In addition, Dalet will provide a high-density ingest and playout solution to manage content capture, ensuring that metadata is meticulously captured.

“This partnership with Dalet represents a significant step in the transformation of RTÉ into a modern media organization,” RTÉ chief technology officer and director of operations Richard Waghorn said. “A key element in that transformation is the development of solutions that enable us to deliver our programming and content, including a vast amount of archive material, to our audiences more easily and more effectively. Dalet’s content management ecosystem will ensure we can do that.”

Waghorn also stressed that “with Ireland's rich history, RTÉ’s archives contain a wealth of unique Irish content that will now be more readily accessible to better utilize and share. This demonstrates our leadership’s commitment to continue building RTÉ into a world-class media organization.”

The new content management ecosystem, named “One Media Share,” will integrate about 1.3 million hours of content from 19 siloed content storage and archive systems, including in-production content, nearline stored digital content, and deep archive content stored on tape. Dalet’s platform will standardize metadata, ensuring all content is fully accessible and searchable. This comprehensive integration will maximize the return on RTÉ’s existing investments by enhancing production and delivery workflows.

“Dalet has extensive experience bringing together massive disparate storage pools and archives for broadcasters around the world,” said Enrique Lafuente, vice president of sales EMEA, Dalet. “We’re proud to partner with RTÉ as it enhances its content management, user experience and to enable new opportunities through our agile solution.”

RTÉ established its radio services in 1926 and its television service in 1961, making it one of the world’s longest-operating public-service media organizations. RTÉ is dedicated to championing Irish culture by captivating audiences with trusted, engaging and challenging content, celebrating the country’s rich diversity and cultivating its talent.

LAS VEGAS—Sencore, a provider of professional content delivery solutions has announced a new collaboration with Showfer, a pioneer in content management platforms that will see the companies offering a new content management and distribution solution at the 2024 NAB Show. 

The full end-to-end solution brings together Sencore's state-of-the-art Centra Gateway and Showfer's innovative "ProVision" platform, a content management solution boasting powerful capabilities for content playout, workflow scheduling, and content distribution. 

Seamlessly adaptable to both cloud and on-premises environments, Showfer ProVision ensures that content workflows can be created and maintained swiftly and efficiently. Paired with Sencore's state-of-the-art Centra Gateway, this new solution takes content transport and monitoring to new heights, the companies said. 

"We're beyond excited to join forces with Showfer," said Aaron Doughten, Director of Technology and Marketing at Sencore. "Together, we're empowering content providers and broadcasters with a content management and transport platform that can serve as the tool they need to stay ahead in today’s rapidly evolving media landscape.”

The video transport and monitoring platform Centra Gateway is capable of transporting content over open internet connections and cloud-based systems. Integrated with Showfer ProVision, the platform enables cost-effective contribution and distribution of content from the camera to the viewer, giving broadcasters the resources they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive market. 

During the 2024 NAB Show, Sencore and Showfer will be showcasing their groundbreaking partnership and unveiling the next chapter in content management innovation.

For more information, visit www.sencore.com and www.showfer.com. 

Today’s consumers have an increasing array of choices when it comes to consuming media and broadcasters are uniquely positioned to attract more viewers than ever before. Whether it’s over the air or over IP or traditional pay TV, broadcasters have the background and expertise to create, manage and monetize their content in ways that can maximize their bottom line. 

Join us on Thursday, September 28th at 2pm EST. 

In this webinar, we will discuss best practices in managing the creation of content, focusing on the variety of media formats now available, manage your content archives, the most effective monetization strategies and take a look at how emerging technologies such as AI and new methods of distribution will impact the future of media consumption.

Register for the event here. 

Broadcasters are looking for more effective ways to increase viewer choices through new services and expanding to new markets. In TV Tech's July TV Tech Talk, Moderator Wes Simpson will lead a discussion in how the M&E industry is optimizing its content management strategies.

Click here to register for this free webcast. 

WHITELEY, U.K.—The past year has seen a major transformation for Masstech, a U.K.-based provider of technology solutions to the M&E market, according to George Kilpatrick, who just marked his first anniversary as CEO of the company. 

As the former head of media and entertainment, EMEA, at Amazon Web Services, Kilpatrick was brought onboard to expand Masstech’s focus from storage management to a wider scope of content management, providing vendor-agnostic storage solutions to a wide range of M&E customers. Along the way, the company was also honored for its work in hierarchical storage management (HSM) with a Technical Emmy this year. 

“It’s been an interesting year,” Kilpatrick told TV Technology. “We’ve changed our whole approach to the market, which was basically looking after archives under Avid or other MAMs to now providing a full content management suite.

“So we can do orchestration of workflows, we can search more effectively, we have a much more effective UI where customers can in effect do content management rather than just looking after an archive in someone else's MAM,” he added.

The result of this expanded focus is Kumulate, which was launched at the 2019 IBC Show. Described as a “new intelligent storage and asset lifecycle management platform,” Kumulate’s unique workflow orchestration enables customers to automate multivendor and multiformat file transformations, across unlimited storage tiers in a hybrid cloud environment. Plus, it streamlines metadata interchange between third-party systems and metadata enrichment services to enable users to attain even more value from their assets.

Kilpatrick says this move enabled the company to go from maintaining and optimizing archives and storage as a provider of middleware to managing the entire storage chain, regardless of storage platform.

“We’re agnostic, we don't actually provide storage ourselves or LTO or on prem. In fact, now, we can manage any storage whether it's in the cloud, private, AWS or Azure and we continue to look after people's content sitting on prem,” Kilpatrick said.

Current events have forced broadcasters to ramp up their remote production capabilities as most stations and networks have had to adapt to broadcasting from home over the past two months. Kilpatrick says Masstech had already been preparing for this transition.

“The most interesting thing out of this COVID-19 situation is how those conversations [about remote production] have been happening for the past several years,” Kilpatrick said. “I came from AWS and we were talking to customers about cloud, remote editing and the advantages for quite awhile.”

Kilpatrick says Masstech has been spending a lot of time over the past several months explaining to its existing customers how they can use their existing solutions in a remote environment.

“We’ve been helping them with training, free software for free licenses to connect to cloud, basically helping them to allow their editors to produce content at home, upload it, pull archive material for editing on Macs, doing the changes and then uploading them to their production suites, all across the world,” he said.

One feature of Kumulate that has been particularly helpful for remote production has been a recently introduced virtual file system, according to Kilpatrick.

“VFS is our cloud connector and that's been very useful for customers to, for example, buy some more cloud storage, that allows them to access that,” he said. “Sometimes our customers can't send engineers to their tape rooms anymore or they want to limit engineers on site, so they're basically setting up new areas of storage for them.

“Two of our biggest news customers in the U.S. wanted the ability to search for assets on their archive and literally download them to the editors' desktop in their home so they could edit there and then upload to wherever it was required,” Kilpatrick added. “So we enabled those customers to do that. Clearly there are security implications so we’ve had to do that in a very controlled way but for these guys, this is their own content from their own archives so it was pretty easy for us to design that for them.’

Several other new product introductions were planned for the now cancelled 2020 NAB Show, including a new Adobe integration for Kumulate; Gateway, a new platform for controlled ingest from multiple sources; and Gallery, a new content distribution platform that Kilpatrick says they will provide more details on in the near future.

In an ever increasing market, broadcasters, content owners and distributors need to find effective ways to increase viewer choices through more content, new services and expanding to new markets. TV Technology is offering a one-hour webinar on these types of strategies, “How to Implement an Intelligent Content Media Platform,” with the following speakers:

Bea Alonso, director of product marketing, Dalet

Luc Comeau, director of market strategy & portfolio - MAM, Dalet

The webinar examines how MAM technology can be leveraged to manage content production and distribution workflows to meet today’s new distribution demand while reducing labor costs and maximizing return on investment.

You can now watch the webinar on-demand.

Content originators and owners increasingly find their content distribution workflows being siloed as they prepare content for a diverse array of delivery platforms. The eBook “Managing Content Distribution in a Time of Flux” confronts the problem of prepping content for different distributors and looks at a strategy that relieves the headaches for in-house staff.

Discover:

-Why different distributors –whether they’re direct-to-consumer cable syndication, digital or international—have different content specifications

-How content prep silos are a workable solution that impedes content prep efficiency 

-Content prep and supply chain management that allows content owners and originators to reclaim workflow efficiency

-How context-aware workflows are a great way to relieve the burden of versioning content

Click here to download.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA – March 26, 2019 – At NAB 2019 TVU Networks, the global technology and innovation leader in live IP solutions, will announce the new MediaMind Appliance, a metadata generation and search engine that speeds production performance and content reuse within an existing broadcast media supply chain. The system uses a combination of time-code and AI-based facial and speech recognition to generate metadata. And an open API lets users connect directly with MAM and NLE systems. TVU Networks will exhibit in booth #C1707 during the NAB Show in Las Vegas next month.

“TV stations and news agencies have considerable media assets, but how can they be considered assets if they can’t be reused and repurposed?” said Paul Shen, CEO, TVU Networks. “While there are many ways to measure the value of content in the media industry, there are ultimately only two: who gets to the audience first and what content is viewed and reused the most? The faster the content spreads, the more it is reused and repurposed, the greater the value of the content and the lower the production cost. That’s what’s driven the creation of the TVU MediaMind appliance and the entire MediaMind workflow.”

Because the MediaMind appliance utilizes both AI and time code to generate search results, it can convert audio and video into structured data in real-time. It’s capable of searching a raw asset at any stage of production – from assignment through to on-air. With the help of TVU’s AI engine, real-time speech recognition lets users find text results even faster than they would searching for images alone. Users simply type in what they’re looking for and the appropriate section of a time code appears. The real-time content search engine uses time code to identify each asset with a unique ID.

Clips can be marked and saved for immediate use. There’s no need to wait for pre-production to finish or for the video file to be entered into the MAM system. With the reporter still on scene, the clip is ready to go online or on-air.

The TVU MediaMind appliance is part of a TVU SaaS model that uses the TVU MediaMind server (dual-channel VS3500/VS3100 models) as the edge server. The servers can receive video signals from any TVU Networks’ transmission device as well as process IP streams of standard transmission protocol, SDI video, and store files in any MAM system. They are professional video hardware decoders designed for the centralized viewing, control and distribution of live video content.

In addition to the MediaMind appliance, the MediaMind ecosystem includes the following cloud-based products: TVU Producer for multi-camera live video production; TVU Remote Production System (RPS) for remote production using a broadcaster’s existing studio control room and a public Internet connection from the field; TVU CAS (Contribution Automation Solution) for the identification of all video acquisition resources on a given story at acquisition; TVU Grid - an IP-based video switching, routing and distribution solution; and TVU Grid Market, a central source for content owners to contribute and pull video enabling assets to be shared and sold on a global scale. 

Switch Media, a world leader in online video technology, is launching its  product suite, MediaHQ at NAB 2019, on booth SU10721. Having successfully delivered complex, multi-award-winning video solutions for over a decade, Switch Media has simplified the complexity of online video so that global broadcasters and content owners can deliver a seamless viewing experience within the fastest of turn arounds. MediaHQ uses a powerful workflow engine and houses a flexible suite of modular components that integrate seamlessly with existing systems, which are supported by the company’s expert in-house technical team to provide assistance 24/7. 

MediaHQ provides broadcasters flexibility based on individual requirements. Users can tailor their workflows selecting any, or all of the components in MediaHQ’s powerful product suite to manage and assist in the delivery of content for both online distribution and traditional broadcast. From ingest, media management and preparation to distribution and analytics, broadcasters can access everything they need under one roof, on one platform to improve or augment their video workflow.

Delivering multi-award-winning solutions for major content owners and live events worldwide, Switch Media has simplified the complexity of online video, so that anyone can stream and monetise content, effortlessly.

Bruce Hume, Broadcast Director, Switch Media says, “We’re really excited to launch MediaHQ at NAB 2019 and to demonstrate the platform’s sophisticated toolset to broadcasters worldwide. We understand the requirements to get content online fast using streamlined workflows that automate tasks to increase delivery speed and productivity. MediaHQ’s flexible suite of components fits the needs of every broadcaster worldwide regardless of size or structure.”

Switch Media’s Broadcast Director, Bruce Hume and Managing Director Europe, Tomas Weber will be presenting sessions at the show.

•    On Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at 11am Bruce will present a paper titled: Maximizing Revenues in an Aggregator Landscape, at the CM|IP Presentation Theater in the South Hall Upper.

•    Also, on Tuesday, April 9th at 4.00pm Tomas will join a panel debate: Is Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Ready for its TV Debut? This session will be held at the CM|IP Debate Theater in the South Hall Upper.

TVU Networks, the global technology and innovation leader in live IP solutions, today announced the company was awarded two 2018 Product Innovation Awards from Future Publishing. Publishers of TV Technology, Government Video, Radio World and Creative Planet/DV and VE magazines, the annual Future Publishing awards honor the year’s top product introductions in TV, professional video and broadcast/online radio technology.

The TVU MediaMind set of solutions for AI-based automated video content management was honored with a TV Technology Product Innovation Award; while TVU Producer for cloud-based multi-camera video production, was selected as a DV (Digital Video) Product Innovation Award winner.

“TV Technology and DV are well read and respected media outlets in the broadcast and video production industries,” said Paul Shen, CEO, TVU Networks. “We are delighted to have TVU MediaMind and TVU Producer selected for this prestigious honor. Both MediaMind and Producer have seen strong interest and adoption since their introductions. We wholeheartedly thank Future Publishing for this acknowledgement.”

Introduced in April at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) conference in Las Vegas, TVU MediaMind consists of TVU Contribution Automation, TVU AI Engine, TVU Real Time Search Engine, TVU Workflow Engine and TVU Producer. MediaMind simplifies and automates the processes involved in creating a single port to feed all social media, digital and broadcast channels. A cloud-based model, it incorporates AI, voice and object recognition to enable the indexing of video clips down to the exact frame and the ability to share those clips instantly.

A component of TVU, with the web-based TVU Producer, video content can be cost-effectively produced for different platforms or audience groups completely in the cloud. Non-professionals can easily manipulate graphics, scoring and text overlays during production, thanks to its WYSIWYG interface. TVU Producer can handle multi-camera production from virtually any location. It supports simultaneously output directly to major social media platforms and virtually any CDN platform. It also offers a multi-channel IP video switcher, instant replay and slow-motion replay.

TVU also received two 2018 DMW (Digital Media World) awards for IP-based delivery and cloud-based production for TVU MediaMind and TVU Producer. During the latter part of 2018, TVU was named a finalist in Streaming Media magazine’s “Streaming Media 50.” In April of last year, TVU was honored with a “Best of 2018” award from TV Technology for its ultra-compact, cost-effective TVU Nano for TVU Router. TVU Nano uses TVU Router as a network accelerator to deliver Internet anywhere.

Now in its sixth year, Future’s Product Innovation Award recognizes excellence in manufacturing of products to serve the TV/pro video and radio/online audio industries. Winners are selected by a panel of professional users and evaluation criteria include innovation of concept and design, creative use of technology, price value, and suitability

TVU Networks has over 2,500 customers in more than 85 countries. The TVU Networks family of IP transmission and live production solutions gives broadcasters and organizations a powerful and reliable workflow to distribute live video content to broadcast, online and mobile platforms. TVU has become a critical part of the operations of many major media companies. The TVU Networks suite of solutions has been used to acquire, transmit, produce, manage and distribute professional-quality live IP HD footage as an integral part of news, sports and major global events. For more information about TVU Networks solutions, please visit .

 Maybe this has happened to you: You’re on deadline for a live, episodic show, and need a few seconds of archival footage. Except that it’s somewhere else. And even though you put in the request a few hours ago, there’s a wreck on the road between it, and you. Plus, it’s on tape, which can make ingest unpredictably dicey -- which always seems to hijack your day right when you’re on a super-tight deadline.

The tape finally arrives, but searching for the sliver of footage you need is painfully linear: First, the dang thing gets jammed in the machine, during which you learn that there’s not even a spreadsheet or simple manifest database to guide you.

And then you find out that the guy who knows all the double-dog secret workarounds of the nine or so vendor-proprietary subsystems, necessary to get your segment going, is out and unreachable. (And it’s only 10 in the morning.)

So You Have Archive Issues?

The common denominator in all of these day-to-day broadcast realities can be summed up in two words: Archive issues. Archive issues that hobble the ability to emulate the agility of Internet-sourced video. Archive issues that exacerbate storage capacity, aggravate operating costs, and lag viewer expectations.

Archive issues are an active undercurrent right now, in broadcast industry conversations -- in hallways, over dinner, and in cross-departmental meetings between “ops-side people” and “IT-side people,” often within the same organization. It’s a daunting and communal challenge, all centered on the need for “active archives,” or at least some way to scale-out those archives, once and for all. On their cloud, or a public cloud, or some combination of the two.

Cisco UCS S-Series servers deliver a scalable, modular active data storage solution that's ideal for media. They offer storage that’s less expensive than a NAS, but 100x faster than digital tape alternatives used for archiving. Check out the UCS S-Series on the Cisco website. 

Here’s the short list of “how best to” considerations, culled from my notes with multiple conversations with broadcast-side engineering and IT colleagues over the past few months. “It’s the same for all of us,” one explained. “It’s all these questions about ‘how best to’ do this or that. In no particular order:

• How best to “scale out storage,” as an over-riding driver.
• How best to solve -- or at least stay reasonably ahead of -- video resolution advances, like the progression from HD to 4K to 8K (with 16K in the wings), each progressively “heavier” to carry.
• How best to solve for the growing landscape of display screens, beyond the TV.
• How best to harness the celebrated “ease of use” inherent to “the Internet” -- on the back end, and the viewer-facing front.
• How best to make something truly “evergreen” -- for real, and forever. This is closely related to the matter of how to forever avoid the need for yet another “data migration,” from one tape or digital method to the next.

All of this is happening within the larger, organizational conundrum of how to slipstream into that new cultural norm that is agility, DevOps, and “mobile speed” -- itself a gear or two faster than “Internet speed,” which is several gears faster than traditional, broadcast speed.

Here’s my short list of the “perfect world” for archive management, from the engineers, technologists, and data/IP-side people who work in media and entertainment. The specific ask was, “what characterizes your perfect world, when it comes to your audio/video archives?

Active media archive solutions offer broadcasters options that are significantly less expensive and more flexible than traditional methods.

The Perfect World

Desire #1: Remove the shackles of archival storage capacity! On tape and in file-based environments, said one senior broadcast engineer, adding, “every time you add another tape to the library, you’re adding another mouth to feed.” A few years later, that tape will likely need to be handled again, she noted -- or worse, become obsolete.

The disk equivalent of this also exists, by way of “NAS proliferation”: You fill up one system, then another, and another, until you feel like you can’t manage anything, because you’re so busy managing everything. The point: Tape is inexpensive, and limitless! File-based storage is not as inexpensive, but it’s also limitless! In both cases, the more there is, the larger the management headache. Short-term fixes often cause long-term nightmares.

Desire #2: Make it as easy to search an in-house archive for a dated segment, as it is to search on Google for the nearest fish taco. Shifting away from tape, to a private (meaning in-house) or public (meaning AWS, Azure, Google, pick your favorite) cloud simultaneously brings web-like advancements in segment searches. Systems already exist that offer “self-describing media,” for describing clips, dates, anything that exists on the “box art.” Make it as easy as a web search, another broadcast network engineer said, “as opposed to today’s methods, which are about one Dewey away from having to go to the library to flick through a card catalog.” Simplifying search can save money, too, noted one media archive manager, who confessed to sometimes buying the same stock media more than once, “because it’s easier than finding the original.”

Desire #3: Give it some AI, for heaven’s sake.Artificial Intelligence systems thrive on the mountains of data that look daunting, otherwise, and the archives of the world’s broadcasters are … mountainous. (Metaphorically, anyway.) Consider a hypothetical but plausible broadcaster with a show that’s entertained millions of people, every week, for 40 years. Let’s say that’s about 800 episodes, archived on thousands of tapes (analog and digital), and on network-attached drives. All in, the archive is measured in Petabytes. That’s a lotta headache.

The good new is, work is also progressing, very rapidly, to apply AI to automated metadata creation. Its role: To gather and sort known (embedded/preexisting) and unknown data, on a frame-by-frame basis: That’s a dog. That’s Tiny Fey. That’s a red Jeep. Such are the hooks available with active archives and AI.

Desire #4:Make it slipstream right into my existing workflows. All of them. Over and over again, a common refrain when daydreaming about the perfect archival situation involves the day-to-day, very busy, very hectic workloads shouldered by today’s broadcast and IT professionals. Nobody needs or wants “big, monolithic system #9,” which requires a squadron of integrators to get it tied into existing back-office subsystems. An ideal active archive system spans objects and files; media asset managers and editing stations. All of it, wherever it is, with a front-end that speaks the same language as today’s clouds.

Desire #5: Make it break the “chains of dependency.” Particularly with technologists working with object-based storage, a strong desire persists for standardized ways of handling archives, “with HTTP-based everything.” Make it work with the storage protocols common to the Internet, like the S3 API, among others -- which were created for the Internet. Not adapted, shimmed, or otherwise derived from existing systems. Nothing proprietary, with objects that are portable and can live in any storage environment. (There was considerable “harrumphing” on this one.)

These are the challenges facing lots and lots of engineers, technologists, and IT-side professionals in the media and entertainment sector. They’re at the “how best to” phase now, and sizing up available ways to shore up their mountains of archives, once and for all. Their wish lists are understandable, and doable. (So I keep hearing, anyway.)

Watch for “active archives” to be a common thread over the next couple of months, as broadcast-side professionals start gearing up for the 2018 National Association of Broadcasters. And, if this kind of conversation is happening where you work, know that you can get a much more detailed assessment with two companies who will be there: Cisco, and its partner Cloudian. This is as close as I’ll ever get to an endorsement, by the way, but from the Department of Full Disclosure, they commissioned this series, and provided the background and some of the engineers who informed this piece.

In closing: May your archives be active and scalable!

This is the second in a six-part blog series preceding the 2018 NAB Show. Click here to read more about what broadcasters will be talking about at this year's show. Click the thumbnail below for the next installment in this series.

About the Author: Leslie Ellis is a respected “technology translator,” well known in cable and telecom circles for her award-winning, 20+ year “Translation Please” column in Multichannel News. She took on this Cisco-sponsored pre-NAB series to point out common and frustrating obstacles, for anyone on the sliding transition toward “being more Internet-like.” It is less of a comprehensive representation of available options, and more a glimpse into what’s worrisome, on a day-to-day basis, for engineers and IT people who work in media and entertainment.

Developers of technology for content management and control (formerly automation and asset management) continued to adapt their product workflows to IP and cloud-based functionality. Several automation providers demonstrated the ability to create “virtual” content channels, while “programmatic” ad selling was top-of-mind among vendors of business and rights management software.

MASTER CONTROL & PLAYOUT AUTOMATION
Aveco featured its Astra master control/production automation range, available “in-the-rack” or cloud-based, as well as its Redwood, a channel-in-a-box with branding solution.

Bitcentral marked the NAB debut of its Central Control, an IP-based all-in-one ingest, archive and play-to-air solution for individual station or multichannel operators.

Broadstream Solutions launched BEACON, a software-based playout system using elements of the company’s OASYS platform and designed for call letter Diginets or educational, CATV and corporate TV channels.

Cinegy unveiled v11 of Air PRO, its playout server and multichannel automation software with high frame-rate UHD support, integrated HEVC stream encoding, loudness limiting, and next-gen channel branding. The company also showcased Cinegy-as-a-Service, which ports the company’s technology to the cloud.

Crispin showcased LoadingDock, a network content acquisition, preparation and distribution application for reducing duplication of effort across Group stations. The Supervisory View feature monitors multiple channels with access ranging from view-only to full content stream control.

DNF Controls debuted IP Control Buddy, a small-footprint device manager and messaging utility. The GTP-32 Control Processor adds SCTE-104 Messaging/Transmission support for digital content insertion or to block/replace rights-managed material. The new Ethernet, RS232/422 and GPI/O-capable Universal Switch Panel (USP3) streamlines monitoring/control interfaces; enhanced Anywhere Interface Box (AIB) models gained multiple control paths—Ethernet, two-way audio, DTMF, modem dial—with programmer-free Web configurability.

ENCO GM Ken Frommert with the company’s new MOM (Media Operations Manager)ENCO Systems introduced its MOM (Media Operations Manager) system, permitting solo operators to automate video playout, manage video, audio, and graphic cut libraries, and create content playlists from a single workstation. A fourth-generation OnAir interface helps users handle traffic log changes and perform manual playback or live inserts.

Evertz demonstrated completely virtualized MAM, automation and playout in the public cloud. The company also demonstrated a virtualized cloud version of Overture LIVE VM playout via Amazon Web Services.

Florical partnered with Vizrt to host a graphics engine on Acuitas, their channel-in-a-box solution. Also new, text-to-speech for FCC compliance and BXF “live-log” for its Myers ProTrack users. The company also showcased AssetCollector and Asset- Dispatcher to streamline media workflows, and schedule import to boost centralized content management in FlashForward.

Grass Valley unveiled iTX On-Demand, an automated VOD and OTT solution. It adds or removes commercials, promos or programming and inserts dedicated branding, watermarks and captions to create complete broadcast masters in faster than real-time, then transcodes VOD versions in parallel with specific metadata for different platforms.

Imagine Communications showed the latest incarnation of Versio, their cloud-enabled, software-based integrated playout solution. Featuring “any-to-any” transport and compressed or uncompressed IP, it’s deployable as traditional hardware or fully virtualized for OTT.

NVerzion highlighted the Windows 10 edition of their Component Level Automation System Solutions (CLASS) platform with a configurable GUI able to emulate end-of-life third party systems. New NPoint Direct lets broadcasters segment, preview and create text, events or effects (e.g., bugs, crawls) instantly and without tying-up a server port.

IPebble Beach Systems premiered Orca, a virtual implementation of its Dolphin platform. Configurable channels run in a virtual machine on a private cloud using IP inputs and outputs to deliver functionality in a purely software environment that would otherwise require discrete hardware.

Pixel Power unveiled StreamMaster, a software-centric integrated playout solution, geared to seamlessly transition from on-premise to cloud architecture. Scalable from basic pop-up to full premium channel, it can deliver content with live graphics from dedicated hardware, as a virtual machine in a data center, or virtualized in the cloud.

PlayBox Technology unveiled CloudAir, a SaaS designed to quickly deploy new channels. Running on any enterprise-class host server, it cuts costly infrastructure and integrates with preferred traffic, storage, MAM and file transfer systems.

Rascular launched a new version of Mediant, its branding management tool supporting both manual and automated asset monitoring. A drag & drop GUI and built-in file conversion ensures the correct media is available in the right format when and where it’s needed.

RUSHWORKS demonstrated dissolve transitions between playlist elements of its ALIST automation as well as BXF file parsing and interoperability for broadcasters using Myers ProTrack, Broadview, and similarly enabled traffic solutions.

SAM added ICE-SDC (software-defined channel) to its channel-in-a-box series, joining the company’s Morpheus automation and Momentum asset management platforms, all optimized for virtualization in an IP or cloud environment. Also new, Alchemist Kronos addressed a growing demand for solutions to adjust content duration.

FOR THE NEWSROOM
Aveco featured Astra News and unveiled Take 2 production automation for news magazine and similar content creation. A director’s interface intuitively controls switchers, video and graphics, camera robotics, audio, etc. Auto “best-clips” compilation speeds post-production.

Avid demonstrated next-gen iNEWS functionality, including a journalist story assignment pane with notifications and resource allocation to streamline story-centric workflows. Also, integrated Maestro graphics workflow; more focused engagement via Social Media Hub; rundown-centric scheduling, review and approval processes; new Ooyala and thePlatform connectors; plus, enhanced Facebook and Twitter integration.

Bitcentral rolled-out Continuum, which automatically or manually programs a live linear channel directly from the news rundown, then distributes to sub-channels and IP for mobile, digital, and OTT. It interfaces with master control and traffic/billing systems, and enables content producers to manage their own advertising rather than depend on internet-based ad servers.

Dalet GalaxyDalet showed an updated version of its Galaxy MAM, the core of its newsroom system, now optimized for content production/distribution. Embedded tools help plan, gather, create and instantly distribute text, audio and video across multiple platforms, freeing up resources to cover and produce more stories.

Grass Valley announced support for K2 Central TX in its latest Newsroom Bundle Elite, offering up to 20TB of usable storage, 20 GV STRATUS clients and 15 simultaneous editors. GV also previewed a new user interface for its Ignite automated production system and has enabled STRATUS to make downstream content substitutions for OTT.

Masstech highlighted MassStore for News, permitting journalists to retrieve, archive and exchange content from within their familiar NRCS interface. It minimizes technical and workflow disruptions, allowing users to focus on content-rich story creation.

Ross Video upscaled its browser-based NRCS and social media management tools to support any size operation with new Inception Enterprise. Also announced, Inception collaborations with Grass Valley STRATUS content management, and with NewsMaker Systems to bridge with NewTek’s TriCaster.

SAM’s News Solution, optimized to rapidly create and distribute multiplatform content, showed adaptive streaming, a full-featured Adobe Premier plug-in, and compatibility with popular NRCS packages. A new interface unifies the experience for mobile, desktop and post-production users; finished content can be posted to social media, Web and TV, then accessed and repurposed by others.

Vizrt debuted an OTT integration of Viz Opus—a one-box production control solution with real-time graphics, switching and playout—and Viz One MAM. It automates multiplatform content generation. letting staff focus on live production.

TRAFFIC, BUSINESS & RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Arvato Systems featured its web-based AdStore to help media companies monetize content across distribution platforms with unified campaign management and invoicing; also, new integration with Salesforce. Its S4AdOpt lets legacy linear ad sales systems optimize placement and revenue.

BroadView Software advanced On-Demand, its flagship OTT product, with Web-based analytic dashboards. They also unveiled Promotion Campaign Manager (PCM) with an asset-centric workflow that cuts creation time and maintains campaigns while providing a “setup and forget” approach to daily execution.

Imagine Communications’ xG ScheduleImagine Communications launched xG Schedule, a cloud-based, next-generation business process solution for linear, on-demand and digital platforms. It unifies ad management and leverages digital media assets by enabling programming teams to plan across multiple linear, nonlinear, web and mobile platforms with validation against content and usage rights, as well as organizational business rules.

Myers previewed advanced capabilities— beyond scheduling and traffic—of its flagship ProTrack broadcast management system, including a first look at the HTML5-based release with new commercial sales functionality. Myers is also extending its Hub and Spoke platform that lets stations retain autonomy while enjoying the efficiency of shared content and master control resources.

Proconsultant Informatique added automatic speech-to-text subtitling to its LOUISE Business Management Solution as well as integration with Vimsoft’s VimBiz Broadcast Resource Management Solution that incorporates human and technical resource planning.

SintecMedia debuted OnBoard, a cloud-based Programmatic Seller Side Platform (SSP) for TV/digital advertising sales, and announced an integration with TubeMogul PTV, advanced targeting and optimization software to plan and buy television advertising.

WideOrbit announced an OTT initiative to sell and deliver digital video advertising within broadcasters’ streamed inventory. Its Q4 rollout will be integrated with WO Traffic and address video stream monetization in IP-based environments, e.g., web pages, mobile sites and smart TVs.

ARCHIVE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Apace Systems displayed Global, a frame-accurate, Web-based proxy editing solution optimized for cloud access. It compliments their postMAM series, a scalable, browser-based, multi-site environment for collaboratively managing media file ingest, transcode, search, playback and archiving.

Arvato Systems featured Video Production Management System (VPMS), an enterprise- class MAM for organizations with complex requirements and high demands for scalability, performance, and hardware independence.

Avid announced InterPlay | MAM integrations with Adobe Premiere and Apple FCP; also, archive and full or partial restore functionality with Masstech, Oracle, SGL and Spectra Logic; end-to-end Panasonic AVC-LongG workflow support; plus, an Enterprise Marketplace for certified Connectivity Partner tools to connect with Avid’s MediaCentral Platform. Also new is UX, a cloud-based MediaCentral Platform frontend that lets users find and interact with content on any iNEWS or Interplay system within their network, regardless of location.

Dalet unveiled powerful analytics for its AmberFin media processing and mastering platform. An intuitive Business Process Model & Notation (BPMN) 2.0-compliant workflow designer lets users create complex workflow chains with little or no prior experience, while providing essential operational and business data to administrators. AmberFin also gained support for Aspera and similar fast transfer solutions, as well as interfaces to Amazon S3 compatible storage.

Digital Broadcast highlighted its Media- Vault Archive System’s new cloud storage functionality for shared access and off-site backup.

Digital Nirvana introduced CARTS (Capture, Analyze, Replay Transport Stream), a standalone digital recorder and transport stream monitor with non-compliance alerts and abilities to cut, clip, and export sections for detailed analysis. Also new, v5.0 of its AnyStreamIQ offers SaaS to record, log and monitor OTT content for compliance.

Evertz demonstrated its Mediator-X asset management and workflow engine running in full virtual mode on Amazon’s Web Services Cloud platform. Advanced processing functions and next-gen database architecture support complex elastic searches and analytics, as well as automated, rules-driven ingest, QC/QA, versioning, archiving and related media workflows.

Masstech added LTO-7 tape storage support to its MassStore for Archive and MassStore for MAM solutions. A new Avid Portal lets users drag and drop to archive, restore or flatten content directly from their editor interface. Also, new features in MassStore Spot & Program Aggregation leverage PitchBlue’s Active Format Description metadata to optimize down-conversions.

Oracle announced integration between DIVA and its Storage Cloud Service. It provides an incremental tier to on-premises storage and adds cloud to media lifecycle workflows. Updated DIVAnet 2.0 connects up to 10 DIVArchive systems through a single global namespace; DIVArchive 7.4 gained Oracle Linux and Database 12c support; AXF Explorer follows SMPTE’s open standard for content sharing and management among disparate systems.

Primestream emphasized Dynamic Media Management solutions with a demo of archival workflow and Aspera integration at IBM’s booth. Also, real-time capture to production, management and delivery systems using its Xchange product within Hitachi’s Content and Unified Compute Platforms.

Pronology debuted mRes, a standalone multi-resolution encoder that simultaneously records three tiers of uncompressed video: a high-resolution media file, an edit proxy, and a live web-streamable proxy.

Ross Video showed v3.1 of its Streamline asset manager featuring watch folders with metadata awareness; XMP metadata import; embedding within XPression’s MOS plugin; and automatic ingest/transcode for NRCS workflows.

SGL Flashnet InfinitySGL launched FlashNet Infinity, a dashboard for its flagship content manager that streamlines archive workflow with productivity widgets and reliability tools such as Checksum support. New SMPTE Archive eXchange Format (AXF) support assures long-term content access despite evolving technologies.

Signiant announced tightly integrated, pre-built workflows with Microsoft’s Azure Media Services (AMS) platform. Automated processes utilize the acceleration technology of Signiant’s SaaS utility, Flight, for secure file transport to/from on-premises storage. Transcoding is incorporated within their flagship Manager + Agents (M+A) solution.

Tedial Version FactoryTedial debuted Version Factory, a “media factory” workflow interfaced with content and rights management, traffic, and work order systems to automate and stack media engines. Using future-proof SMPTE data protocols, it offers maximum scalability for OTT/VOD platforms, network operations and brands. Also showcased, Evolution BPM (business process management), clocked 17x faster than competing systems—50,000 workflows in under three minutes—with unlimited physical or virtual scalability.

Telestream unveiled a mid-year release of its Vantage Transcode Multiscreen workflow automation with support for VP9 video coding. It lets content creators and distributors deliver to over two billion VP9-enabled end points via the Vantage Enterprise workflow. Also debuted, Telestream Cloud, a video encoding SaaS supporting Apple ProRes.

TMD showed workgroup solutions including Paragon+, Chameleon and OnPoint, all operable as simple standalones, in combination, or configured within its Mediaflex-UMS platform for Enterprise-class content management. Also announced, an integration with Fadel Asset Rights Clearance software, and a Take 1 partnership for timecode-accurate program transcriptions with searchable metadata.

Volicon —recently acquired by Verizon Digital Media Services—augmented Share, part of its Observer Media Intelligence Platform, with ad clipping, concatenation and publishing to speed-up repurposing aired content for broadcast, VOD, and digital or social media. Share lets nontechnical staff review and mark in/out points for clip extraction as content’s captured; concatenation simplifies creating video mashups; ad clipping utilizes as-run logs, SCTE messages and filtering options to generate ad-free content for VOD and other outlets. Also new, C5 service gives subscribers access to share functionality in the cloud.

As often happens, what’s new isn’t always. IP, the “Holy Grail” of the past several NAB Shows, has been a fact of master control and file-based media life for some time. The category, which in the past, we’ve termed “automation and asset management” is evolving at a rapid pace. Some players have merged or changed names; a few new ones are emerging, all with ambitious plans to streamline, automate and bulletproof our workflows.

MASTER CONTROL & PLAYOUT AUTOMATION
Amagi will debut CUMULUS, a new cloud-based broadcast platform that simplifies content preparation, management, playout, delivery and monetization for broadcasters, all on a single cloud platform. Offered as a platform-as-a-service (PaaS), CUMULUS enables content owners and broadcasters to create and deliver linear and nonlinear streams across cable, satellite, IPTV and OTT on-demand platforms.

Aveco will return with its Astra master control/production automation as well as Redwood, the company’s channel-in-a-box and branding solution.

Axon will demonstrate its Cerebrum control and monitoring system for mobile production, news and studio live production, master control and remote production. Cerebrum offers a broad range of features and support for third-party devices, including routers, production switchers, servers, receiver decoders, multiviewers and waveform monitors. At the show, Axon will unveil new feature enhancements including automatic tie-line management across multiple routers for format conversion and multisite operations and various new third-party interface options including support for protocols from SAM, Imagine, ClearCom, Trilogy and Grass Valley.

Bitcenral Central ControlBitcentral will highlight Central Control, an IP-based all-in-one solution to handle ingest, archive and play-to-air tasks for individual stations and multichannel hub operators.

Cinegy will debut Cinegy-as-a-Service, which ports the company’s technology— starting with Cinegy Air—to the cloud via Amazon Web and similar services. Also at the company’s booth will be Cinegy Open Tools, a free utilities suite that helps broadcasters shift to IP and nontraditional platforms.

The next release of LoadingDock, Crispin'sl network file acquisition, preparation and distribution application, reduces duplication of effort across Group locations. A new Supervisory View feature lets operators oversee multiple channels at-a-glance; user access ranges from view-only to full control over content streams for multichannel managers.

DNF Controls IP Control BuddyDNF Controls will debut IP Control Buddy, device management and messaging for production or master control; it’s available in GPI/O and LCD pushbutton models. One button press triggers a GPI/O, sends a serial command or a TCP/UDP/SNMP/HTTP signal. The new USP3 Universal Switch Panel streamlines monitoring and control interfaces. Also new, Anywhere Interface Box (AIB) models with up to 16 GPI/Os and multiple control paths—Ethernet, two-way audio, DTMF, modem dial—all with non-volatile, programmer-free Web configurability.

ENCO Systems will demo its MOM (Media Operations Manager) to automate video playout, manage a library of video, audio and graphic cuts, and create content playlists.

Evertz will introduce OVRT-LIVE-4K, a UHD/HD/SD-capable playout engine with integrated master control and advanced channel branding/graphics. It seamlessly mixes SD, HD and UHD content via an internal up/down/cross conversion engine.

Florical is partnering with Vizrt to host a graphics engine on Acuitas, their channel-in-a-box solution. Also new: a “text-to-speech” functionality to meet FCC mandates; FlashForward, which adds schedule import for centralized asset acquisition and distribution; and AssetCollector and AssetDispatcher, which streamline media management, while Myers ProTrack integration gains BXF “live-log” capabilities.

Grass Valley has added IP/SDI format flexibility to its automated workflows with compressed IP I/O in v2.8 of its iTX Integrated Playout Platform. Multiresolution 4K/HD/SD capabilities provide a cost-effective 4K/UHD playout transition with proven scalability to 250-plus channels.

Imagine Communications will demo the latest version of Versio, the company’s integrated, software-based playout solution. With “any-to-any” transport, compressed or uncompressed IP and cloud deployment models, users can accelerate service launches, ensure business continuity, lower infrastructure costs, and virtualize master control.

NVerzion will unveil a Windows 10 version of their Component Level Automation System Solutions (CLASS) platform featuring a highly customizable GUI, video server mirroring, plus enhanced Join-in-Progress (JIP) and conflict reporting functionality. New NPoint Direct media prep lets broadcasters segment, preview and create text, events or effects (bugs, crawls, etc.) instantly and without tying up a server port.

Pebble Beach Systems will showcase Orca, an IP-enabled channel solution in a cloud-based virtual environment. Web tools facilitate deployment, signal design and monitoring of IP-based streams. Lighthouse, a new Web-based utility dashboard, extends Marina’s enterprise automation functionality to local or remote broadcast and business partners; multiple widgets include remote error monitoring, playlist control and resource management via a secure browser interface.

New StreamMaster builds on Pixel Power'sl Clarity platform with integrated playout for complex channels. Running on dedicated hardware, it can be virtualized in a data center or cloud. The format-agnostic, software-defined system is scalable, enabling new pricing models, including pay-as-you-go for pop-up channels.

PlayBox Technology will debut CloudAir, a software-as-a-service for rapid deployment of new channels with reduced infrastructure investment. It provides playout with graphics on any enterprise-class host server. Also, upgrades to Neo, the company’s modular channel-in-a-box series: Air- Box, TitleBox, CaptureBox and SafeBox.

Primestream will showcase new device control enhancements for its FORK content management system, which adds support for leading tape and digital formats— from SD to 4K—on Mac or PC platforms. Also featured, Xchange Suite, used to prepare, share, edit, review, approve and archive content via Web browser, adds publishing capabilities with native export to OTT networks and social media.

Rascular will showcase Mediant, for secondary-event handling. Version 3.0 reads automation schedules, locates media for secondary events and moves content to the correct on-air device. The company will also demo Clockwork, an app for their flagship Helm control suite, that schedules and executes simple to complex events, such as ingest and playout.

RUSHWORKS will demo dissolve transitions between playlist elements on its ALIST automation system, as well as BXF file parsing and interoperability for broadcasters employing Myers ProTrack, Broadview Software, and similar BXF-enabled traffic and billing solutions.

SAM (Snell Advanced Media) will debut a software-defined channel version of its ICE channel-in-a-box optimized for virtualized playout. Replacing SDI with IP streaming, it can easily migrate to a standby blade within the data center or at a redundant, mirrored facility in the event of a hardware failure.

Thomson Video Networks’ FUZE-1 Playout SystemThomson Video Networks , which was recently acquired by Harmonic, will unveil its FUZE-1 Playout System for ad insertion, branding, disaster recovery and EAS insertion. It integrates traditional channel-in-a-box functionality with premium-quality encoding/ transcoding for broadcast and OTT delivery.

IN THE NEWSROOM
AQ Broadcast will showcase QNews Automation Control Centre (ACC), designed to assist with devices during live broadcasts. Typically run with QNews, the company’s NRCS suite, ACC also accepts MOS event data from newsroom systems such as ENPS.

Aveco will introduce Take 2 production automation for high-end news magazines and similar shoots recording to a server. It controls switchers, video and graphics, camera robotics, audio, etc., via an intuitive director’s interface. Automatic “bestclips” compilation helps finish the program, avoiding delays and costly post production.

Bitcentral will debut enhancements to its OASIS MAM system with Web interfaces for mobile, tablet and PC. CORE:News adds hybrid ingest, hub and spoke distribution, plus a downscaled version for smaller markets. Their Create video editor gains closed-captioning pass-thru, audio VU meters and loudness measurement tools. The company will also demo new servers with faster, more reliable SSD storage.

Grass Valley will return with v4.5 of its GV STRATUS video production and content management system, with a full toolkit for managing on-air operations, live programming and production media workflows.

Masstech will feature MassStore for News, which lets users archive, retrieve and exchange content from within their familiar NRCS interface. Stories and media flow smoothly among users, systems and locations using drag-and-drop. It reduces technical and workflow disruptions, saves journalists time and effort, and lets them focus on creating content-rich stories.

Octopus will debut Newsroom 8, a platform-independent, newsroom computer system running natively on Windows, Mac OS X or Linux. The new version empowers cross-department teams to collaborate and share, as well as connect with social media and online news channels.

Ross Video will demonstrate the latest version of its OverDrive automated production control system, with enhanced integration to the company’s Acuity and Carbonite Black production switchers, as well as support for a variety of third-party switchers, newsroom computer and graphics systems.

TRAFFIC, BUSINESS & RIGHTS MANAGEMENT
Arvato Systems will showcase its Avatega Rights Management & Planning system with automated multiplatform scheduling, workflow engine and decision support. The company will also feature AdStore, which offers single-point access to an entire commercial inventory; it combines programmatic and traditional sales models, predefines cross-media packages, and tracks delivery progress across platforms.

Broadview Software will demo v2.0 of its OnDemand platform, designed to manage content for audiences fragmented by platform proliferation. With scheduling connected to fulfillment, its schedules serve traditional cable and new media platforms, as well as Web and mobile devices. Rules-based tools, such as linear casting, rights casting, and event treatments, simplify workflows.

Imagine Communications’ will introduce Landmark xG Open, a new open, APIbased solution that helps media companies participate in sales via programmatic exchanges.It helps users streamline their advertising buy-sell process and supports campaign stewardship with near real-time performance feedback to the buyer.

Myers will debut ProTrack Sales, based on HTML5. The module provides a sleek, intuitive interface to powerful sales capabilities and streamlined operational workflows. Myers will also demo enhancements to Pro-Track, which tighten bidirectional integration with key vendor partners.

Proconsultant Informatique will showcase LOUISE 5, the company’s modular business management solution, which helps multiscreen content providers streamline processes in a rapidly changing industry. The company’s CINDY 4 ad sales solution provides traffic, ad placement and revenue optimization; its integrated design handles global ad strategies with provisions for linear and nonlinear business, as well as programmatic and automated selling.

SintecMedia will feature OnAir 4.0, the company’s collaborative ad sales, programming, rights management, traffic and promotions platform. An intelligent interface anticipates user workflows with automated reminders and tasks. OnRights helps content owners earn licensing revenue across linear, nonlinear and digital platforms. The IBMS suite adds promo optimization tools that increase client control over placements, while OnDemand manages centralized multiplatform digital services. Cloud versions of OnAir and IBMS facilitate rapid deployment and lower cost-of-ownership.

WideOrbit will unveil station workflow enrichments to flagship WO Traffic, including tools to manage spot and digital together from order entry through to invoicing and reconciliation. Data from WO Media Sales—used to manage station/ group operations, proposals, avails, planning, order entry, research, analysis and reporting— now auto-populates directly into WO Traffic.

ARCHIVE & MEDIA ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Apace Systems will introduce postMAM, a browser-based collaborative media environment with seamless ingest, transcoding, search, playback and archiving of video, audio, still images and graphics. A global version provides secure, multisite asset management with frame-accurate hi-res proxy editing. Finder—a new class of unstructured, file-based search engines—automates file/folder name indexing within storage clusters; multisystem cataloging makes data search instantaneous.

Dalet will demonstrate current versions of its established products, featuring Galaxy, their enterprise MAM platform. It manages assets, metadata, workflows and processes across multiple, diverse production and distribution systems. The company will also showcase its AmberFin and Brio platforms.

Digital Nirvana will introduce a new collaborative Media Management Platform that includes tools to capture, edit and repurpose content from various sources and publish to multiple digital platforms, all while monitoring for quality and compliance.

Masstech will demo purpose-configured, high-volume storage systems: MassStore for MAM controls digital media and metadata throughout its lifecycle; intelligent storage management and native transcoding streamlines workflow and reduces cost. MassStore for Program & Spot Aggregation eliminates manual content-gathering steps and cuts turnaround time, errors and costs, with automated content detection, processing and migration. MassStore for Archive utilizes intelligent tiered storage and scalable online, nearline and deep storage options, from disk arrays to LTO data tapes.

Oracle will showcase DIVArchive, which features bit-accurate checksums throughout its rules-based storage workflow, verifying output, regardless of publication format, exactly matches original input.

Pronology will highlight the company’s MAM system’s global Location Intelligence feature, which allows users to collaborate, locate and transfer content to where it’s needed, ensuring efficient use of bandwidth and storage resources. A browser interface provides instant “at-a-glance” access to streamable proxy files for shot selection and organization.

SGL will debut its new FlashNet dashboard, which simplifies archiving workflow and adds reliability tools such as Checksum support to its content management and storage flagship product. New SMPTE Archive eXchange Format (AXF) support lets FlashNet read and process AXF objects, assuring long-term access to content despite evolving technologies. The company will also demo support for Ci, Sony’s Cloud service for creative collaboration.

Square Box Systems will introduce CatDV 12, a new MAM edition with native support for their Server 7, plus enhanced ingest and logging capabilities. Also, Worker 7 updates add Linux support and greater functionality for MAM workflow automation and integration.

Tedial will introduce Version Factory, which interfaces with content and rights management, traffic and work order systems to automate operations, stacks media engines, employs future-proof SMPTE standards, and provides scalability for OTT/VOD platforms, network operations and brands. The company will also showcase its Evolution BPM (business process management) workflow engine, which clocks 17x faster than competing systems—50,000 workflows in under three minutes—with unlimited physical or virtual scalability.

Enhancements to Telestream's file-based Vantage workflow engine include Open Workflows, which promises speedier, more efficient processing and decision-making. Sequential actions execute in-parallel and output generates as files are processing. New ABR Optimize constructs intelligent adaptive bitrate packages, cutting delivery bandwidth and distribution costs without losing perceived viewing quality.

TMD will showcase its Mediaflex Unified Media Services (UMS), a cloud platform for media services and host for third-party delivery of business and operational workflows. The company will also debut its Call- 4Media digital asset management service, which utilizes TMD’s Chameleon interface, enabling non-technical staff to search for and deal with content. Also new is Aperture for ingest, which digitizes, captures and manages content, either standalone or with other TMD services.

Volicon Observer Media Intelligence PlatformVolicon has added as-run log integration to Share, part of the company’s Observer Media Intelligence Platform. Available on-premise or as a cloud-service, it lets non-video editors remove ads, generate frame-accurate long-form VOD assets, or repurpose content for on-air, digital or social media platforms. The company will also demo Observer’s ability to draw content from the OTT pipeline and mobile devices.

VSN will feature VSNEXPLORER, which has been newly integrated with Microsoft’s Azure Media Services to create an enhanced MAM on cloud solution. Among the added features: auto-detection of adult content, multiformat cloud transcoding, face blurring in videos, and content finger-printing.

ISELIN, N.J.—Asia TV USA is a media distributor that delivers the content of India’s Zee TV network and its U.S.-based Z Living health and entertainment network worldwide. Z Living produces such popular shows as “Good Food America,” “A Model Guru,” and “The Lisa Oz Show.”

Since our global operations span both coasts of the U.S., and include Mumbai, London, and Singapore, a cloud-based workflow is the only way we can make it all work. We use the Aframe cloud video collaboration platform as our central library archive and to facilitate ad sales and syndication.

Asia TV USA uses Aframe to manage content across global locations.NO MORE SNEAKERNET
When I joined the company three years ago, we had just brought in Aframe; before that we were shipping everything around on drives or tapes. Being an Indian-based company, we work with colleagues in Delhi, Mumbai and Noida, and getting drives in and out of customs is a nightmare. With Aframe, we’ve eliminated all of that and realized huge savings in shipping costs. Most importantly, we no longer wait for hard drives and tapes to reach their destinations or worry about the media being damaged or corrupted. We store our entire library on Aframe so if clients want something in its original format we just send a link and the delivery is done. Aframe also stores our audio stems, scripts, and other items that are part of a syndication package.

Our Aframe seats are spread evenly worldwide and are used to accomplish many different tasks. In Los Angeles, our creative team uses Aframe to preview shows and look for clips to use in promos. In New York, the sales team uses it to receive ads from clients, review and approve them, then forward me the links to the finals to send off for broadcast. Overseas, our syndication teams use Aframe to download lower resolution clips to iPads to take them into client meetings. Uploads can happen from any location, and we particularly like giving ad content creators ftp “upload-only” access, which doesn’t take up any of our user seats.

Our house standard format is XDCAM 50 MXF but we work with many other standards because third-party productions may deliver material from ProRes to MP4 and everything in between. What’s great about Aframe is that it just handles them all, ingesting and also automatically transcoding to a proxy that sales executives can view to confirm content, then send to me to transcode locally for whatever broadcast spec is needed.

GLOBAL WORKFLOW
Right now Aframe is facilitating our expansion to Z Living offshoots in Latin American countries as well as in Russia and in Dubai, U.A.E. The content will be a combination of some programming originally in Hindi and some originally in English. We’re making NTSC and PAL versions of our entire library in unmixed format so we can overdub in Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian. The first step happens in Mumbai, where they create the unmixed content and upload to Aframe. Our Miami team will then translate it and upload the new voiceover to Aframe for our team in New Jersey to pull down, comp in the Avids, then upload show masters back to Aframe for broadcast. It’s truly a global workflow.

Michael Tuttle is the manager for broadcast operations for Asia TV USA, which includes Zee TV US operations and Z Living. Michael can be reached atmike.tuttle@asiatvusa.comor by phone at 845-474-0037.

For more information, visitwww.aframe.comor call 978-799-9440.