CBS Stations Tap Telestream for Workflow Upgrade

The CBS Television Stations group is integrating Telestream’s FlipFactory product into the workflows at the station group's 29 O&Os. CBS said it chose FlipFactory for integration of Pitch Blue-delivered HD content into its syndication workflows and for integration of loudness control into its spot delivery workflows. Pitch Blue is a new file delivery system operated by Warner Bros. CBS and Ascent Media.

FlipFactory automates the way content delivered by Pitch Blue and spot delivery services is ingested at the station and transcoded for direct file transfer to the on-air server. This automation reduces the amount of manpower required to get syndicated program content and commercial spots to air and also provides CBS automation with all the required metadata necessary for full tracking of the content. Integration with CBS’ internal automation system was a primary consideration when evaluating solutions, along with the ability to quickly transcode HD video, preserve all captioning information and decode Dolby E audio for a full-HD quality, surround sound experience.

The recent addition of audio loudness measurement, per the International Telecommunication Union ITU-R BS.1770 specification, has allowed the CBS Stations to quickly and easily comply with the ATSC’s recent Recommended Practice that established a loudness target for commercial advertising and program content (ATSC A/85 – Techniques for Establishing and Maintaining Audio Loudness for Digital Television). Telestream’s loudness option fits within the automated workflow, enabling loudness levels to be set for each spot as it is delivered to the broadcast server with no manual intervention.

“This important project represents another step in our long-standing relationship with CBS,” said Dan Castles, CEO of Telestream. “We appreciate the trust that this major broadcaster places in our company and products to help them achieve greater operational efficiency in these challenging times.”

CBS has been using Telestream products for awhile now. Over the past several years, Telestream’s TrafficManager systems were installed at the 29 CBS O&O stations to provide tapeless, automated ingest of spots received from digital delivery services and file transfer to the stations’ playout servers.