WNED, the PBS member station in Buffalo, N.Y., recently upgraded its ingest system to include an Omneon video server and needed a way to simplify the process of loading up to 1,000 hours of videotapes into the station's now tapeless system. Working with Winsted , a Minneapolis-based manufacturer of consoles and technical furniture, WNED created an ingest station that streamlined the process of loading all that tape into the server.
The station started with Winsted's Slim-Line Uplite console and finalized the design in CAD drawings until it met WNED's needs. The Slim-Line Uplite console is designed to work with LCD monitors and has built-in fluorescent soft lights that minimize shadows cast by overhead lights. There are filing cabinet enclosures at either end of the console and lockable doors on the rear that permit secure access to the installed electronics.
At WNED, two technicians share the Winsted console, simultaneously loading tapes into the Omneon server installed below the console's surface. Panasonic and Sony digital tape machines are located next to the console and are manually controlled by the technicians. Eventually, the station plans to use a Sundance Digital automation system to permit control of the tape machines from the console.
