Advanced Broadcast Services, a UK-based broadcast services provider, has increased its complement of Pharos Playtime technology to support its new client, Sony Asia. The project includes an additional Playtime channel with interfacing hardware that controls newly installed Omneon main and backup video servers. The Playtime system has also been expanded with an additional sequence import facility to receive program schedule information direct from Sony Asia.
ABS, which has used Playtime since 1998, now has a total of 32 channels from its original six, to help manage its playout, transmission and broadcast facilities.
Playtime's inherent control flexibility allowed the additional channel to be installed, configured and commissioned without any interruption to service. The live feed from Sony Asia's studios in Singapore is captured onto both Omneon servers for resilience under the command of a record list. This material is edited, with new commercials inserted and played to air via Sky to a predominantly UK audience, although time-shifted five hours after the Singapore transmissions. The Sony Asia channel is also used for live cricket with server-stored commercials, triggered by cue tones. Playtime controls the whole process, based around the existing Pharos architecture.
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