NEWARK, CALIF. –Seattle-based broadcast communications and media company Fisher Communications, Inc., is using Digital Nirvana’s Monitor IQ Essentials 3.0 platform for regulatory compliance and loudness monitoring.
Monitor IQ provides Web-based, HD/SD channel monitoring, logging, compliance and diagnostics/quality control, as well as content archiving for up to 90 days.
Currently, three stations have deployed the platform: KOMO-TV4 in Seattle, KATU in Portland, Ore., and KBAK-TV in Bakersfield, Calif.
“Our plan is to eventually deploy it across the entire station group,” said Lee Wood, regional director of engineering for Fisher Communications, which operates 13 full power and seven low power television stations across the U.S.
To verify regulatory compliance or diagnose technical issues, Monitor IQ lets station engineers and operators watch HD video or audio channels to check the quality of experience. They can also double-check closed captions, the Nielsen NAVE II Watermark and picture identifier data embedded in the transport stream, as well as loudness levels.
“All of our stations will use Monitor IQ primarily for regulatory compliance and loudness monitoring of our off-air HD and SD DTV channels,” Wood said. “Also, should a question ever arise as to whether a commercial spot ran as scheduled, Monitor IQ lets us to create a Windows Media video clip of the ad in the context of the programming to prove it ran as planned.”
Each Fisher station will manage and maintain its own compliance air-checks, but station group management can also check Monitor IQ databases remotely.
Monitor IQ employs Web-based access and intuitive search tools to ensure video segments will be readily accessible. Search is based on keywords, titles, subtitles, descriptions, textual metadata, closed-caption text and imported logs, with filtering by time, date and channel. Recordings can be edited, clipped, stored and sent via email or FTP.
“With mandates related to loudness levels, closed captioning and other regulations, broadcasters need capable, scalable solutions designed to monitor their off-air signals for compliance,” said Ned Chini, vice president of sales and marketing for Digital Nirvana. “Monitor IQ also serves as a quality control solution that automatically logs technical issues, such as dropped audio or missing closed captions and provides links to the video for easier access and review.”
