KAKM's path to HD TV has been realized with help from Sundance Digital’s Titan automation system. The PBS member station located in Anchorage, AK recently completed a major facility upgrade with a new master control operation and digital infrastructure. The conversion includes an upgrade to Sundance Digital's Titan automation package, allowing the station to increase its channel count and broadcast in HD.
KAKM-TV chose a 3-channel Titan system that includes a full-featured version of Sundance Digital’s Intelli-Sat -- a powerful manager to automate satellite feed recording. Three list processors handle one HD and two SD channels -- one of which is simulcast on an NTSC transmitter. The system includes an upgraded SeaChange server, Masstech MassStore (a nearline, archive and content management solution), and an advanced interface with Myers ProTrack traffic software designed specifically for PBS and other non-commercial stations.
"We were already a customer, so when we converted to digital and increased our channel count the logical next step was to enlist the help of the Sundance’s multi-channel Titan,"said Frank Mengel, director of engineering for KAKM. "Titan’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for operators to advance to multi-channel. It was one of our easiest installs and the transition was seamless. Titan makes it possible for us to get the job done."
Titan’s advanced "Join-in-Progress" functionality was also a hit with Mengel. "The Join-in-Progress does all the work for us. In the past we had to pre-cue and estimate where to start following a program interruption. Now Titan does all the math for us. We just have to press a button."
