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TVW moves into Hayner Media Center

Dec 1, 2007 12:00 PM, By Mark Siegel

The upgraded facility results in a more efficient production and enhanced on-air look.

Each of the production control rooms has a Mac for processing AIF files. The facility also includes a 200sq-ft audio production room adjacent to the master control room. The audio production control room features an Allen-Heath series 3800 mixing board and a smaller Mackie audio board. The operation is entirely stereo audio, with a secondary audio channel used for live Spanish language translations.

The workflow at the new facility is greatly streamlined as a result of the sophisticated interface between the automation, server and digital asset management systems. The digital asset management systems include a Pictron with voice-to-text recognition and a Rhozet, which transcodes DVCPRO50 files on the server into low-res proxy files for editing on Final Cut Pro as well as for DVD authoring for archive. This automated workflow helps to archive more than 3000 hours of content per year, which is kept accessible on nearline storage systems.

TVW now has a video and audio archive of more than 50,000 hours of government proceedings accessible on-demand from its Web site at www.tvw.org. The Web site also makes all of the events available as streaming audio, and many of the events can be viewed as live streaming media or on-demand as well as via podcasts. The site attracts more than 500,000 visitors annually.

FLEXIBILILTY FOR THE FUTURE

When TVW began broadcasting from the Hayner Media Center, there were several workarounds in place to smooth over technical issues ABS could not address in time. The integrator continued to refine the installation for one month following the premiere broadcast. The facility performed flawlessly, and the initial audience feedback indicated that viewers noticed the network's more polished, graphics-rich on-air presentation.

The goal of the project was to design a technical operation that was free from error-plagued or cumbersome tasks, and one in which all technical employees could understand the data and workflow.

Today, TVW has a properly scaled facility with inherent room for growth and the flexibility to accommodate any technological advancements it might want to incorporate in the future.

Mark Siegel is president of Advanced Broadcast Solutions (ABS) in Kent, WA.