CAMBRIDGE, ON, Canada, October 19, 2016 – Bannister Lake has unveiled two powerful new enhancements for the company’s Super Ticker software, further extending the flexibility that has helped make it the preferred data aggregation and management solution for broadcasters and other media enterprises worldwide. The powerful new Query function creates dynamic playlists that automatically adapt the set of data being displayed based on deeply-configurable criteria, while the new Custom data type enables customers to define proprietary data structures tailored to their unique requirements.
“With the vast array of information sources available to the public today, broadcasters need to offer deeper and more precisely relevant data to engage their viewers and remain their audience’s preferred platform,” said Georg Hentsch, president, Bannister Lake. “Our unique Query feature enables Super Ticker users to dynamically present exactly the data they need to tell their story, while effortlessly keeping it fresh and accurate. Meanwhile, our new Custom data type makes it easier than ever for our customers to create data containers that meet their individual needs without any extra overhead.”
As always, Super Ticker enables media organizations to easily aggregate and manage automated data feeds from premium third-party providers, and combine them with community-submitted information and locally-created content. Overcoming the near-immediate data obsolescence typical of manually-created playlists, the ground-breaking Query feature enables users to define criteria that dynamically generate up-to-the-second playlists from Super Ticker’s aggregated data.
Database inquiries are created using standard Structured Query Language (SQL) syntax, and stored unexecuted for subsequent use through playout rundowns or Super Ticker’s BLADE (Bannister Lake Active Data Exchange) API. The Query is only applied to the database at the last possible moment before the resulting data is needed, ensuring that the extracted information is always up to date. A Query creation wizard is provided to assist users who don’t have SQL experience, and Query definitions can be published for sharing and deployment amongst all Super Ticker customers worldwide.
“Creating playlists featuring constantly-changing data sets – such as listing close election races where incumbents are losing, stocks that are dropping faster than a specified threshold, or the five hottest cities on the planet at that moment – has previously been difficult if not impossible, as the list is out of date within seconds, minutes or hours of its creation,” said Hentsch. “Query enables dynamic playlists that give our customers the freedom to create data-rich broadcasts and displays based on virtually any criteria they can dream up.”
The second new Super Ticker enhancement, the Custom data type, provides a convenient and efficient means for users to store and manage their aggregated or locally-entered data in fully-customized structures. While Super Ticker’s standard data types – including sports scores, weather, financials, elections and many more – could already be extended by customers with additional fields to capture deeper data, the new Custom type takes this flexibility even further, enabling users to create entirely new structures from the ground up with only the fields they require. All Super Ticker functionality for using and managing standard data types can also be applied to Custom containers, including rundowns, the BLADE API, and the new Query feature.
A new version of Super Ticker featuring Query is available immediately, with the new Custom data type slated for a November release. Existing Super Ticker customers with active maintenance agreements are eligible to receive the updates free of charge. For more information about Super Ticker and other Bannister Lake solutions, please visit www.bannisterlake.com.
About Bannister Lake Inc.
Bannister Lake is a leading provider of professional video graphic display solutions for broadcast television, cable, satellite, audio/visual and information presentation applications worldwide. Our solutions integrate seamlessly with your existing infrastructure while automating the integration and display of external data sources, improving the productivity of your organization. Visit us online at www.bannisterlake.com.
