Nov 27, 2007

Volicon Observer® to Monitor U.S. Transmissions for Discovery Communications

Observer Enables Performance Validation and High Quality of Service for Discovery Channel and Other Well-Known Channels Including HD Simulcasts

Volicon today announced that Discovery Communications has installed the Volicon Observer® media monitoring system to record and monitor broadcasts for all 18 Discovery feeds in the U.S., including Discovery Channel and TLC. By recording every transmission around the clock and providing operators with easy access to as-aired video, the Observer enables Discovery Communications to verify performance with clients and proactively diagnose technical issues.

Discovery has installed 28 SDI channels of the Observer at its state-of-the-art Discovery Television and Technology Center in Sterling, Va., as well as four Observer HD channels to record four newly launched HD simulcasts of Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, and The Science Channel. The Observer records the satellite downlinks of each channel as it airs, giving Discovery operators the ability to view the same content that its cable head-ends are receiving.

With the Observer, operators can search for and view aired video content from any desktop using a simple Web browser interface. The system’s Content Export feature allows them to download video clips and e-mail them to any interested party, such as advertisers who want to verify that a commercial aired in full and on schedule. The Observer automatically records viewer measurement ratings and closed captions, providing a valuable and searchable archive for Discovery business managers and others who are researching the networks’ performance.

In addition, Discovery operators rely on the Observer as a diagnostic tool for identifying the source of technical problems. Since the Observer is continuously recording every transmission, operators can monitor overall quality of broadcasts and easily search for the video in question when a problem is reported.

“Discovery Communications is at the forefront of communications companies that are embracing digital, file-based systems running in the IT infrastructure to automate the broadcast chain,” said Julius Perl, Volicon’s vice president of marketing. “We are pleased that Discovery has chosen the Observer to play such a key role in its new digital infrastructure to help maintain the channels’ traditionally high quality of service.”

“Our commitment to high-quality programming permeates our organization, and we rely on systems such as the Observer to help us fulfill that commitment,” said Jonathan Perkes, vice president of engineering for the Discovery Television and Technology Center. “Since installing the Observer, we’ve noticed a marked improvement in our ability to validate performance and maintain transmission quality, and thus our operators are working smarter and more efficiently.”

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.

Observer …

More.

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, …

More.

About Volicon

about
About Volicon

Company Profile

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

More.