Volicon System Provides Simple, Convenient Enterprise-Wide Access to Live and Recorded Content and Supports Key Compliance Operations
BURLINGTON, Mass. -- Nov. 6, 2012 -- Volicon today announced that Crown Media Family Networks is using the Observer(R) TS (transport stream) digital video monitoring and logging system to monitor its Hallmark and Hallmark Movie channels. Enabling convenient remote review of live and aired content, the Observer system facilitates rapid troubleshooting and simplifies key tasks including loudness and closed-caption compliance, NAVE ratings assurance, and traffic reconciliation. Crown Media also has installed an analog Observer system to give the company's programming department competitive monitoring capabilities.
"Because the Observer makes it easy to review live and aired content over the network, staff from engineering, traffic, business affairs, and other departments not only can locate and access the video they require, but also create their own clips," said Jim Bennett, vice president at Crown Media. "While the Observer brings welcome capabilities to staff across the organization, it provides me with 'quality of experience' alerts and logging that makes it easy to see trends. I also use the Volicon system to capture and play back the loudness metadata that confirms our compliance with the CALM Act."
The Observer TS allows Crown Media to log MPEG transport streams from the East Coast and West Coast Hallmark and Hallmark Movie channels continuously and to stream and export content to all stakeholders in the media enterprise. The Observer system captures, stores, and streams aired content and provides instant access to live and recorded content from an easy-to-use Web-based GUI. The system's quality of experience module provides real-time alarms for faulty video, audio, and closed-captioning by issuing alerts via email/SNMP with a direct link to content and a master fault log.
Because Observer TS logs the full transport stream, users at Crown Media can go back as many as 10 days to examine and/or export content from the transport stream, or dial back as many as nine months if working with low bit rate proxy content. DVR-like frame-accurate controls allow for easy content review, even over a WAN or the Crown Media LAN. Volicon's As-Run-Log Import module allows users to search and sort the as-run log via ID or commercial/program name for quick and easy ad verification with a direct link to video content.
The Observer supports monitoring of A/V content including BS.1770-2 loudness and other correlations of data and video. Intuitive overlay controls provide continuous measurements that identify program loudness and loudness range, and high-visibility audio, video, and measurement graphs and data combine with fast, accurate access logged content to enable the export of an A/V affidavit with loudness data overlaid. Crown Media also takes advantage of Volicon's NAVE Decoding, Logging and Alerting Module, a ratings assurance tool that ensures proper transmission and delivery of NAVE codes to Nielsen monitoring equipment.
Newly installed for competitive monitoring, the analog Observer system at Crown Media will allow users to monitor multiple broadcasts, compare content, and archive to local storage. Like the Observer TS system used in other departments, the four-channel analog system will enable quick location of desired broadcast material, creation of clips, and delivery to other users for review.
The award-winning Observer family of real-time digital video monitoring and logging solutions is based on Volicon's patent-pending Video Monitoring Network (VMN) architecture. VMN comprises a multichannel video streaming engine; content analytics; and interactive search, service monitoring, and alarm capabilities. More information about Volicon and the company's Observer products is available at www.volicon.com.
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About Crown Media Family Networks
Crown Media Family Networks is the umbrella unit of Crown Media Holdings Inc., which houses Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movie Channel. The company operates and distributes both channels in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD). Hallmark Channel is the quintessential 24-hour television destination for family-friendly programming and a leader in the production of original movies. One of the fastest growing major ad-supported cable networks since its launch in 2001 and reaching nearly 87 million U.S. homes, Hallmark Channel delivers on a 100-year legacy and a brand promise that resonates with viewers.
About Volicon
Volicon provides the broadcast and cable industries with the most efficient, reliable, and cost-effective automated multichannel video content logging and monitoring system for compliance, media analysis, content repurposing, and quality of service. Its Observer(R) real-time digital video monitoring and logging solutions are based on Volicon's patented Virtual Media Network (VMN). VMN is comprised of a multichannel video streaming engine, interactive search, content analytics, and service monitoring and alarming capabilities. Volicon products and services meet the demanding requirements of broadcasters, cable and IPTV service providers, and enterprise and government organizations looking to improve broadcast product quality, enhance video management, and lower costs. More information is available at www.volicon.com.
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