Fourth Annual Excellence Awards
New studio technology - Station nominee

They designed and built a new facility that would give the station a fully digital foundation, offering SD that could easily be adapted to HD in the future. WCPO-TV hired A. F. Associates (AFA) to complete this project.

The station’s new digital workflow is centered on two Omneon Spectrum media server systems, one for production and the other for playout. Scalability was a key factor in choosing these systems, which allow engineers to add and subtract I/Os without taking the whole system down. It also offers both SD and HD operation and compatibility with the station’s editing systems.

The short time frame was the overriding consideration for the project. Broadcast systems couldn’t be installed until the construction areas were clear of hazardous materials. The team integrated Crispin automation with the server in a master control environment. The systems operate in conjunction with IQ modular systems from Snell & Wilcox. The station is also using Snell & Wilcox RollCall to enable remote configuration and control functionality over infrastructure hardware, with management and monitoring via the RollMap system.

NVISION supplied master control and routing systems. In addition to unique crosspoint redundancy, the router systems offered built-in analog-to-digital conversion that saved the station thousands of dollars in outboard equipment. The NVISION products allowed the station to build an SD- and HD-compatible master control for the price of an SD-only system — and simplified operation considerably.