WATERTOWN, Mass.—Watertown Cable Access Corp. (WCA-TV) here has replaced its automation and playout system with the Cablecast Community Media solution from Tightrope Media Systems, the vendor said.
"We were increasingly unhappy with our previous system,” said Andrea Santopietro, assistant director at WCA-TV. “The manufacturer released what they considered major updates to their software, but the upgrades were buggy and seemed more like cosmetic changes rather than what customers like us wanted or needed. Lots of updates that we had been promised were never delivered, and it was frustrating going back and forth with their customer support staff but not seeing any real changes or fixes. Our programming was suffering to an extent, as was the public’s ability to access our content. We were ready to move on to something new.”
WCA-TV operates three public, education and government (PEG) channels from its facility in Watertown High School.
WCA-TV purchased a complete Cablecast solution from Brockton-based technology supplier Ockers Company in May 2021. A Cablecast VIO 4 Plus server provides automation and playout for the three channels, while three Cablecast Live units and a Cablecast Pro VOD server power 24/7 live streaming and video on demand. Cablecast CG software running on the Cablecast VIO server drives unique bulletin boards for each channel.
Cablecast apps bring live streams and VOD clips to viewers on over-the-top (OTT) and mobile platforms with digital content delivered over the Cablecast Reflect cloud-based streaming service. The Cablecast RTMP service lets the station easily integrate Zoom and hybrid meetings into its channels, the company said.
“I really enjoy how the Cablecast scheduling interface is laid out, and how easy it is to drag and drop shows, replace content, and move things around. “It’s so simple and straightforward. It has been a huge time-saver for us, cutting my scheduling time roughly in half,” said Santopietro, who added that publishing VOD content with he Cablecast system is fast and easy.
The Cablecast system also makes it easier for viewers to find the VOD content they are seeking. “…[W]ith Cablecast, we have a distinct VOD site for each channel, and visitors can search across all three,” she said. “We can also easily group and reorder content to make it more discoverable.”
More information is available on the company’s website.
