Aug 29, 2006

The Inspiration Networks Simplify Multichannel Monitoring Workflow With Volicon Observer

“We are a rapidly growing communication organization, and the ability to coordinate the exchange of information across our facilities is a real issue. The Observer system gives us a valuable tool for gathering, sharing, and reviewing critical data about our broadcasts, even when staff is spread across separate buildings or locations.”

Volicon’s award-winning Observer desktop video monitoring solution has been deployed by The Inspiration Networks (and its teleproduction subsidiary, MediaComm) to monitor its digital and analog channels at INSP-The Inspiration Network, Inspirational Life Television (i-Lifetv), and Inspiration Network International (INI). Observer runs constantly in the background, allowing the network to verify the playout of programming and associated closed captioning within minutes.

“The immediacy provided by the Observer system allows us to work far more efficiently and to disseminate information at a very high level across our facilities, as well as to our clients,” said Bart Palmer, CTO and vice president of engineering for The Inspiration Networks and MediaComm. “We looked at other products, but none offered the same features or Observer’s capacity for closed-captioning monitoring. That’s an important aspect of every program, and Observer gives us a very effective way to confirm closed-caption display and to perform rapid keyword searches when necessary.”

The production complex on The Inspiration Networks’ campus comprises seven separate buildings, and there are additional studios located six miles away. By making it easy for staff to push and pull information among these areas as quickly as possible, Observer helps the Inspiration Networks’ staff service all those facilities as if they were next door to one another. For INSP (with both an analog and digital feed) and i-Lifetv (with a digital feed), the satellite return is run back to a video server and used to verify the actual content on air. The output of INI (which is delivered to the pan-European region by fiber) is verified before its transatlantic journey to a satellite uplink in Spain.

The Volicon Observer replaces a tape-based monitoring system that was far more timeintensive and prone to error. Observer monitors signals on an ongoing basis, maintaining clips for up to 30 days so that the content of broadcasts can be verified. Observer allows The Inspiration Networks’ channels to be screened over various networks, so personnel in engineering, traffic, and sales departments all have “seats” from which to answer any queries about aired content. It also simplifies confirmation of program verbiage because operators now have the ability to search closed-caption content to see if a particular word was used during programming. Thus, the network can reassure its clients that closed captioning went to air and that there were no problems with the broadcast.

“We are a rapidly growing communication organization, and the ability to coordinate the exchange of information across our facilities is a real issue,” added Palmer. “The Observer system gives us a valuable tool for gathering, sharing, and reviewing critical data about our broadcasts, even when staff is spread across separate buildings or locations.”

The Observer desktop video monitoring solution delivers the power and capabilities of professional A/V control rooms to ordinary desktop computers, making multiple channels of content available on demand, live or archived, from any desktop. Users have total control with the ability to search, retrieve, view, analyze, annotate, share, and export video from the desktop.

Events

Events
HDWorld Booth 1157 October 15-16 2008

Volicon’s Observer HD is the industry’s premier High Definition content monitoring solution for Broadcasters.

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Awards

awards
Volicon Observer wins TV Technology STAR Award @ IBC 2006

Volicon, a leading provider of advanced solutions for monitoring broadcasts, logging, archiving, and streaming of digital video, …

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About Volicon

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About Volicon

Company Profile

Volicon is the leading supplier of broadcast monitoring systems used by broadcasters and cable …

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