Automation, once a clearly defined standalone category, is on the evolutionary fast-track to becoming a cog in the workflow wheel of content lifecycle management. Another interesting NAB awaits, as hybrid "all-in-one" boxes compete with traditional solutions for a piece of the multichannel/multiscreen pie.
Avid Interplay MAM 4AUTOMATION
Aveco will introduce Disaster Recovery, a needs and budget configurable solution; Regional Ad Insertion for Hub & Spoke or Centralized architectures; and ASTRA Studio 2 for solo operators to produce complex newscasts or programming. Aveco will also release their MAM tools as standalones, starting with apps for Content Management and Archiving.
From Avid, expect surprises to accompany their newest iterations of Interplay MAM 4, FastBreak automation, iNEWS as well as craft editing, motion graphics and audio products.
Primestream's Building4Media will debut FORK Xchange Suite, Web-based collaborative workflow with instant access to media on any PC, Mac or iOS device. Also new: FORK for Final Cut Server, FORK Shot List Editor and Atempo archive integration.
Crispin's new Cameo and Veranda are subscription-based master control/asset management solutions with inclusive software, hardware and support. BXF Service 3.0 gains WideOrbit traffic support and DigiPrep streamlines media prep workflows. Master Control Automation adds adaptive scheduling and failover options to its TCP/IP device controls, plus "run anywhere" hub/spoke capabilities.
Digital Broadcast returns with MediaFire Automated Master Control ingest to playout and traffic/billing workflow. Housed in an HD or SD server, it includes automation software plus direct interfaces to content services. New MediaVault Blu-ray "Cube" is a standalone archive with tight AP/ENPS newsroom integration.
DNF Controls' Universal Automation Backup System adds a Dropbox to save and auto-append new playlists for their 24/7 standby solution.
Nverzion KISSEtere is upgrading its scalable MTX playout solution to full IT-based master control integration. A new MAM application centralizes ingest, indexing, storage and retrieval of assets and metadata. Also, M.E.R.P.—an extension of Enterprise Resources Planning—connects activities and integrates internal/external information across the organization.
Evertz will offer up its Mediator and Overture LIVE. Scalable from single to large multichannel facilities, they promise greater content management and playout efficiency by simplifying workflows and publishing to linear/non-linear platforms.
Florical will showcase Acuitas, a scalable off-the-shelf, IT-based "station-in-a-box" video server with HD playout, graphics, effects, and frame-accurate switching. It can be used for simple commercial insertion or to run multiple channels. Returning: SMART Central channel management suite.
Grass Valley will introduce the K2 Edge series of Linux-based, multichannel automated playout solutions, available as Express for entry level channels, Pro for main channels with sophisticated graphics, and K2 Edge Elite with switching for up to four HD sources and multichannel 2/3D graphics with DVE moves.
Harris will premiere Live Update, which uses the BXF protocol to enable faster workflows, reduced errors and higher revenues. It securely integrates their OSi-Traffic and automation systems to receive and process log changes, synchronize automation playlists with traffic logs, enable last-minute playlist changes and deliver as-run information and error alerts to the traffic department.
Miranda Technologies will showcase its Enterprise Suite VOD Publishing system that automates and simplifies media preparation workflows for delivery of linear and on-demand "TV Everywhere" content. The company will also highlight its iTX automation/playout systems.
Pixel Power ChannelMasterNverzion will introduce CLASS (Component Level Automation System Solutions) to the NAB Show. An alternative to one-box solutions, it works with legacy broadcast hardware/software under a unified platform. Designed for stations with four or more channels, it can scale to 100s. The company has also enhanced its KISS scheduling and traffic system with improved editing and schedule generation, QuickBooks interface and tools for programming and sales.
Pebble Beach will highlight its Dolphin station-in-a-box for highly automated multichannel ingest and playout, as well as Marina Automation, the company's next-generation solution for content capture, management and delivery across all channel types, including channel-in-a-box solutions, without the need for separate operational silos.
Pixel Power will highlight ChannelMaster, a self-contained play-to-air system, to its graphics family. Storage, graphics, DVE, audio, subtitling, master control, and live feed or long-form playout are combined in a dedicated hardware platform. It integrates with standard automation/MAM systems or Pixel Power' Gallium, a new scalable scheduling, asset management and automation suite.
Rushworks will showcase A-LIST single/multichannel automation and its DIJIT/DAYSHIFT file encoding/timeshift application.
Snell will debut ICE Channel-in-a-Box v3.0. Features include integrated 3D graphics and CG functionality with timeline control, plus the ability to populate fields from the company's Morpheus automation schedule, as well as external data sources.
ARCHIVING & ASSET MANAGEMENT
AmberFin will bring a new version of its iCR Unified Quality Control (UQC) solution for ingest and transcoding operations. It offers an improved user-experience, new ingest capabilities, streamlined workflow interface and third-party quality control plug-ins. Also new, software-based multitranscode capabilities for iCR enable up to eight simultaneous nodes on a single PC.
Amberfin UQC iCRCache-A Corp. will debut a new high-performance Power-Cache Archive Server, including Cache-A's latest v2.1 software release with a range of new features. Power-Cache combines Cache-A's noted appliance functionality with a fast disk array and ultra-fast networking for more expandability and accelerated archive and retrieval transfers.
Dalet Digital Media Systems will debut new features for it MAM Enterprise Edition, including enhanced multimedia editing, configurable usage rules and rights management, streamlined metadata forms, expanded glossary and genealogy support, more powerful search capabilities and the ability to expose Dalet applications in third party portals. Dalet Media Life adds integrated tools for ingest, quality control, clip creation, story-boarding, subtitling and closed captions. The company will also showcase its Dalet News Suite and Sports Factory.
EditShare will show upgrades to Ark, their archiving and backup solution, with added Partial Restore from Ark Disk and extensive new activity reporting.
Front Porch Digital will introduce LYNX, a cloud-based environment for global asset management from any device or location. Tightly integrated with the company's DIVA technology, it leverages cloud and Web service technologies for a range of networked and distributed solutions, e.g., hosted disaster recovery, private/hybrid cloud services to centralize assets and consolidate operations, and a public SaaS-based cloud service with DIVArchive functionality. DIVAdirector v5.0 returns with new, more versatile asset management, including HTTP-based adaptive streaming to dynamically switch between video/audio bit rates based on network conditions and CPU power.
Harris QuiC
Dalet Enterprise Edition
Harris will launch QuiC software that automatically analyzes files ingested into video servers. Featuring best-in-class quality control technology from content analysis specialist Digimetrics, QuiC software QuiC Pro for maximum flexibility, with scalability to enterprise-level operations; QuiC Express for file analysis in less complex workflows; and QuiC View for visual presentation of digital content with ties to HTML reports.
Levels Beyond will showcase its Reach Engine library management and workflow software. This workflow is used by top media but now is scalable for all production professionals. The platform finally connects deep video libraries and live production assets with the revenue opportunities available from new distribution models.
Front Porch Digital DIVAdirector 5.0Netia's new Content Management System (CMS) helps customers globally streamline production processes via easy-to-manage task automation and workflows. Users can connect all their partners and vendors within a single production ecosystem to simplify asset sharing and management.
Masstech will launch its DIAMOND collection, a new range of low-cost apps for workflow and interoperability. It comes in two versions: DIAMOND blue, a high speed portal Avid or FCP; and DIAMOND pink, a standalone application. Also new is Emerald v7.5LE, now with LTO tape archiving, HQS transcoding, and content management for efficient file-based archiving. It features HSM archiving, a MOS interface to iNEWS and AP-ENPS, and built-in interfaces for Avid and Apple. The company will also preview a new UI for its TOPAZ system, including support for 64bit Windows OS and LTFS material interchange and operability.
Pilat Media has added automated metadata importing for high volumes of content to its IBMS (Integrated Broadcast Management System). It checks and retrieves metadata from suppliers, drives transcoders for multiscreen distribution, and places values in the service navigation menu such as genre, resolution and cast. New Customer Defined Multidimensional Rights Management allows definition of unlimited rights dimensions and parameters, e.g., resolutions, regions, devices, delivery platforms and revenue models.
ProConsultant Informatique returns with business management solution LOUISE, designed for multiplatform rights, program metadata and workflows for broadcast, web and mobile; as well as CINDY, designed to optimize linear/nonlinear ad revenues with campaign management, proposal generation, reporting and billing.
SGL has added AS02/LTFS support to their well established FlashNet archive manager, enabling it to write AS02-wrapped files to an LTFS tape with everything needed to transport video, audio and metadata to any destination with descriptive file information intact. Also, an end-to-end Avid InGame workflow for broadcast sports production and archiving debuts.
Signiant will highlight Media Manager, a system-to-system solution to administer, control and execute activity, including workflow modeling, from a single platform. The company will also demo Signiant Media Exchange, a private cloud solution that lets content providers transfer files securely using simple clients to automate unattended delivery to and from any desktop or mobile device.
New client GUI for Tedial Tarsys
Ross Video Overdrive
Tedial has redesigned its Client GUI for Tarsys (MAM) with new features for cataloging, editing, exporting to third-party systems and collaborative work environments, as well as a new Ficus (BPM) Web client to facilitate production workflow monitoring and execution.
Telestream will demo Vantage Transcoding, optimized for the high-performance needs of adaptive bit-rate production in broadcast, post-production, cable IPTV, tablet and Internet OTT workflows.
Vitec will demo v7.0 of its ProxSys PX-Series, a MAM solution designed to save and organize high or low-resolution media files with features for fast, efficient retrieval and distribution. It supports popular video formats, previews, timecode and metadata with a browser-based GUI for MAC, PC and mobile devices.
XenData has added multiple standards support for its entire digital video archive product range, including the ability to write files to and restore from LTO tapes in LTFS (Linear Tape File System) as well as tar formats in a single digital video archive system.
NEWSROOM AUTOMATION & ASSIST
Associated Press will debut Digital Publishing Engine, making ENPS a single multiplatform content production center for broadcast, Web, mobile and social media. Also, ENPS Mobile brings content creation and communication to smartphones, tablets and laptops, letting users create ENPS scripts and messages, view planning, rundowns, wires, etc.
Bitcentral will unveil Create 2.0, a wide-area workflow, allowing producers, writers and editors to access content from anywhere, and preview, log, edit and publish a live or file-based source. The company will also highlight Precis 4.0, an open, scalable news production system, and Oasis, an archive and distribution solution for content sharing and repurposing.
Version 6.2 of Grass Valley's Ignite production automation system includes a new MOS gateway, ActiveX show builder tool for iNews and ENPS, plus a range of new third-party integrations, including Shotoku camera robotics. Also, Ignite Konnect will be shown with the company's new Karrera Video Production Center switcher.
Mosart Newscast Automation 3.0 sports a more configurable graphical interface, plus new server, audio, graphics, robotics and other device interfaces as well as extended compatibility with Annova, AP, Avid, Dalet, Octopus and similar newsroom systems. Mosart's as-run integration lets on-air and MAM systems reuse individual stories or events; it can also query MAM systems for metadata information.
Newsroom, the NRCS from QTV/Autocue, returns with sharpened tools for multi-user news production, administration and rundown management.
Ross Video will debut v12 of its OverDrive Automated Production Control System, featuring advanced redundancy, including HotSwap server switching, DeviceSwap for managing video source sync rolls, and FrameSwap for two Vision switchers to operate synchronously from a single OverDrive. Also new: Support for Traditional Chinese text, additional Vision switcher models and device status indicators in GlobalView. QuickTurn, a new media workflow option, permits concurrent creation of Web and broadcast streams.
TRAFFIC & BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
BroadView Software has added BroadView Cloud (BVC) to their seventh-generation integrated traffic and sales management suite. It offers greater deployment and operational flexibility while also reducing IT overhead.
Specializing in content management for cable networks, Broadway Systems will showcase its Traffic & Billing, Sales Planning & Proposal and Stewardship applications.
Returning with ProTrack TV, Myers Information Systems' BXF-enabled flagship offers enhanced traffic, content, scheduling, & sales management for individual, multichannel and multistation broadcast operators. Its On-Demand Module enables scheduling, tracking and publication of program or sales packages; it generates transcode requests for user-defined platforms such as mobile, Internet, cable and DVD.
StorerTV will debut Rights Tracker, a product suite for managing and controlling inventory, sales and royalties for all content and formats. Scalable from entry-level to fully integrated enterprise rights management or web services connected to broadcast playout and VOD systems.
WO Mobile, WideOrbit's new platform for launching targeted mobile programs and campaigns, uses SMS alerts, MMS videos, sweepstakes and mobile coupons, all tightly integrated with WO Traffic for accurate billing, invoicing and reporting. WO Analytics is a turnkey Business Intelligence solution integrated with WO Traffic to provide data visibility for mission-critical decision-making via an easy-to-use dashboard. WO Master Control is a full automation solution for up to 16 channels of HD/SD with integral switching, graphics and video storage.
Volicon will debut Observer MPEG Transport Stream logging and monitoring to help cable, satellite, broadcast, and IPTV operators address the complexity of their services. Observer Mobile offers instant iPad or iPhone access to content to ensure quality, compliance, and communication within the media enterprise.
