SALT LAKE CITY—Blab TV, WFBD-HD channel 48 in Pensacola, Fla., has deployed an automation system from NVerzion in order to get content on air more quickly, reduce costs, and deliver high-definition content to more than 500,000 viewers in the Gulf Coast region. The independent channel has installed NVerzion’s Component Level Automation System Solutions (CLASS).
The Blab TV channel has installed a variety of automation hardware and software components from NVerzion. Blab TV delivers more than 40 hours of long-form informational programming per week, including PSAs and live talk shows. In addition, a live stream of the station's broadcast is available on the Web at blabtv.com. Since installing the CLASS platform from NVerzion, the station has maximized operational efficiencies and eliminated workflow issues, leading to a better quality on-air presentation.
The Blab TV channel has installed a variety of automation hardware and software components from NVerzion, including: the NControl on-air playlist, NGest professional dubbing and recording software, NPoint video preparation software for segmenting and trimming, NBase SQL media database manager, NConvert manual and automated traffic interface, as well as EMC Ethernet machine control.
NVerzion’s CLASS is based on an open platform architecture designed to support a wide range of third-party equipment. Currently, Blab TV is using the automation system to control two 360 Systems MAXX-1200 HD video servers. By speeding up the station's file-based workflow, CLASS reduces Blab TV's capital and operating expenses. NVersion said that the modular architecture of the CLASS solution eliminates all single points of failure within its file-based workflow in addition to providing Blab TV with the flexibility to scale and add more features and perform upgrades as needed.
One capability that Blab TV finds particularly useful for live events is NVerzion's Join-in-Progress functionality. JIP performs a series of complex timing calculations, allowing the station to seamlessly join a scheduled program in the event of a live overrun or underrun, eliminating the “dead roll” operation that would typically occur in these situations.
