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Broadcast automation is critical in today's economy

Jul 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Sid Guel

The keys to survival are automating processes, lowering staff count, smartening efficiencies and doing more with less.

KOIN-TV, the CBS affiliate in Portland, OR, installed a Grass Valley Ignite integrated production system that enables operational efficiency, allowing the station to add more news programming and real-time cut-ins.

The elephant in the room is clearly the ailing economy and how the inevitable chain reaction has now affected the broadcast industry. It's no secret that the economy has indirectly affected a broadcaster's capital purchase plans. Every day we hear of more and more layoffs in the broadcast industry. The low attendance at the 2009 NAB Show is yet another indicator of the economy's effect on our industry.

The broadcaster's focus has shifted to outright survival tactics and tried and proven ROI projects. As we march through one of the darkest times in our history, let's look at how critical automation is to broadcasting during these tough times. Several industry analysts and leaders have said automating processes, lowering staff count, smartening efficiencies and doing more with less are all critical for survival. This article examines the automation changes broadcasters can make to survive and succeed during these hard times.

Master control automation

Systems integration firm Advanced Broadcast Solutions did an extensive upgrade of the newsroom production environment at KBCI, the CBS affiliate in Boise, ID. The automated newsroom production workflow reduced control room personnel.

Master control automation is critical in today's broadcasting world. Automation systems are now advanced and proven to the point of normal everyday usage, regardless of the level of broadcaster. Whether you're a network broadcaster, a KXYZ or WXYZ, a public, educational and governmental (PEG) market broadcaster, or an audio/video corporate broadcaster, there are proven solid-state automation solutions available today.

There are three different types of automation systems. In standard systems, a PC- and software-based unit controls primarily third-party devices. A combo system consists of an internal video server and automation system combined in one box. The hybrid system is a channel-in-a-box solution in which the video server, automation applications, routers, switchers, graphics, character generators, etc., are included within one box or system. The combo and hybrid systems are growing in popularity. One of the principal reasons is because of costs, savings, simplicity of integration and low maintenance costs.

News automation

News automation is increasing in popularity, and it's a good way to cut costs in struggling news departments. There are two types of news automation systems: hardware and software. The hardware news automation system is usually a news production switcher with advanced software for the automation of various processes. The upside of these systems is that they do well in late-breaking live news or live production events. The downside is that they primarily only control proprietary devices and only limited external devices.

The software news automation systems are PC-based and are external to switchers, routers and video servers. Software-based systems control a variety of third-party devices via IP/API or Serial Control. The upside of these systems is that they can control a variety of third-party devices, regardless of the manufacturer. The downside is that they are not as flexible in late-breaking live news events.

Production automation

Production automation can also be effective in reducing headcount and increasing efficiencies. Regardless of the task, such as studio production or sports, there is most likely a production automation solution to fit the need. Like news automation, there are upsides and downsides to production automation systems, and they're usually based on on-the-fly live productions or late-breaking live events versus a predefined and scripted production. The more a production can be predefined, the better a production automation system will function.

Syndicated programming and commercial interstitial

Syndicated programming and commercial interstitial delivery systems are another way to automate and advance your workflow. Several companies have applications in which rich media, along with metadata, is automatically pulled or pushed to play out video servers and automation databases. Several master control automation manufacturers have partnered with these companies to streamline the workflow and automate the delivery process. Features and options include real-time messaging, hot folders, auto distribution and transcoding, QA notifications, and auto database importing. These are all common functions with automated media content delivery systems.

The new trend with station groups is HD content distribution using their own networks. Because of the high cost of distributing HD programming commercially, station groups are installing distribution solutions that will work using their own networks or the public Internet. At the 2009 NAB Show, several new distribution companies moved into the broadcast industry from the IT, IPTV and Internet world. With more competition in place, the price of HD distribution should normalize and be more cost-effective for uplink facilities, stations and station groups.

Automated rich media distribution

Automated rich media distribution systems are now critical to an operation in which all the rich media assets are centralized. Several companies specialize in automated rich media distribution, nearline storage and archive management, and transcoding.

Most master control automation systems have limited to advanced forms of automated distribution applications. Some are more sophisticated than others. With master control automation systems, their primary purpose is to get rich media from any storage point to the playout server with minimal human intervention.

Master control automation systems are increasingly becoming more sophisticated in the area of rich media ingest, transcoding and distribution. Several master control automation companies can ingest rich media into the playout servers, nearline servers and archive servers, and in various formats for outlets such as IPTV, the Internet and mobile.