WHYY opens VOD market for PBS stations

WHYY in Philadelphia is using the SeaChange International QuickSilver Agility VOD workstation to create a new model for public broadcasters.

The station is using the workstation to optimize the production and distribution of its programs for on-demand distribution.

In addition to quadrupling the volume of local and national programs available for on-demand television services, WHYY will also act as a service bureau for other PBS stations, helping them encode their local and national productions for on-demand distribution.

WHYY's efforts in on-demand distribution required developing a new set of production skills to repurpose programs developed for traditional broadcast. Inserting new bumpers and breaks through nonlinear editing, as well as adding metadata and encoding made completing packages a job that took several weeks.

However, using the QuickSilver Agility VOD Workstation, developed in conjunction with Anystream, automatically produces standards-based CableLabs-compliant on-demand content without requiring additional nonlinear editing. The system automatically ingests files from storage or editing workstations, inserts metadata, branding messages, promos and underwriting credits and then processes it into CableLabs-compliant packages. Finished content can be sent over fiber optic links to PBS' on-demand partners for immediate access via on-demand subscriber navigation.

For more information, visit www.anystream.com and www.schange.com.

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