In Broadcast - September 2017 - 64

64

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 7 - Issue 9 | September 2017

InMedia

A Return to Physical Master
Control Environments?
Tim Felstead, Head of Product Marketing; and Karl Mehring, Director
of Playout and Delivery, at SAM, consider the issues surrounding
conventional live production versus centralised Master Control...

L

ive production events include
significant on-site production
resources to provide not only sources
such as mics, cameras and their
control, but also the mixing, switching
and recording equipment, power and
other support systems required.
Because live production, even for
small events, can be complex, budgets
soon escalate to include travel and
subsistence for a production crew
that can quickly grow to a significant
operational cost.
Because of that, the allure of 'At
Home' (or REMI - REMote Integration)
production, where a crew of only
two ensures on-site set up and
connectivity, can be very high.
However, moving production resources
from on-site to a centralised location
may not be the ultimate end-goal for
remote production where total cost
of delivery to customers and network
operational efficiency are most
pertinent. In 'Olympic' style events,
where audiences and subscriptions
may be challenging, it may well be
more efficient to pull those home
located production resources into the
network Master Control environment.
This article considers the merits of
using the Master Control suite in very
tight cost controlled REMI productions
and the efficiencies this structure
can bring a sports or regional sports
network operation.
Keeping the Costs Down
Scheduled playout typically requires
a customer to invest in a playout
automation system like SAM's
Morpheus. Built as a flexible real-time
solution for single or multi-channel
systems, Morpheus is enhanced when
coupled with SAM's Channel in a Box
solution ICE, or its software-based
brother ICE SDC (Software Defined
Channel). With either integrated
processing solution, physical or
software based, this combination is
engineered to withstand the difficulties
that can occur in live and sports

television broadcasting.
Often,
automation
systems are presented
with
the
relatively
straightforward task of
following schedules made
some days or weeks in
advance. These of course,
do not require the human
and real-time complexity
of live broadcasting. When
SAM Morpheus
live sports programmes are
included in a schedule then variations Elements
can be introduced that require
In commercial based broadcasting
master control systems to be ready environments it's critical to be able
for anything. Over-runs or other late to sell inventory. Making last minute
schedule changes can make a mess of changes to a commercial break offers
the very best planning processes.
the sales team additional flexibility
To avoid this, automation systems should they need it. It gets more
need to be able to manage the difficult when last minute changes
transitions from scheduled to live and are made in multi-channel playout
back again in a number of ways that environments with live channels. In
suit the network's requirements (delay a sports network context, this may
the schedule, return to the schedule be different markets (or networks)
etc.) Furthermore, it is the enabling receiving the same live programme but
of efficient human interaction with the with 'hot' changing commercials. In
system that illustrates the suitability Morpheus Automation, this late change
of this solution for many live events. of commercials can be extended in live
Returning to automation control in events to cover different commercials
an elegant and intelligent way is a for different languages, target
challenge for most playout automation audiences or delivery platforms like
systems.
social media. Changing commercial
SAM
builds
master
control break running orders in a sports event
environments around Morpheus and which has already overrun requires
ICE that are highly capable in live a real-time automation system built
broadcasting environments. This offers for the purpose. Morpheus can
the opportunity to move a number of achieve this level of flexibility by
key functions into the master control using its Commercial Hotlist function
environment during a live broadcast. simultaneously across multiple playout
Important to this integration is the channels, without sacrificing its
capability to manage real-time SDI and customary 99.999% reliability record.
AES audio signals, and processes such
Another aspect of live events that
as video or audio mixing/switching, can be handled in Master Control is
graphics creation and insertion along sophisticated live graphics. ICE has a
with media management tasks related highly capable graphics engine able to
to a live schedule.
support real-time and effects graphics
up to and including 3D effects. It's
SAM sQ server
also possible to take external
live data feeds to include
graphics such as score
data, player statistics etc.
S uppo rti ng
From a regulatory point

of view, where subtitling
is mandated, Morpheus
also offers the breadth of
control required to support
most
live
captioning
devices. 'Join In Progress'
functionality
provides
elegant handling of last
minute changes during live
programming with graphics
to
make
automated
announcements so viewers
know when a channel returns to its
planned programing.
Audio can no longer be second
cousin to video in broadcasting to
any delivery system. Be it over the
air or OTT there are essential audio
requirements such as language
commentary for sub-regions or
multi-channel audio for effects. In
developing ICE SDC SAM has enabled
both SMPTE 2022-6 inputs and outputs
for SDI over IP, and also AES-67 inputs
and outputs to support up to 64 audio
channels. Both of these standards form
part of the forthcoming SMPTE 2110
interoperability standard so ensuring
future IP standards compatibility.
Irrespective of building a software or
hardware based suite, the real-time
video and audio human interaction
and processing blocks remain in both,
ensuring either model supports live
sports broadcasting.
Handling Live Environments
Moving production into Master
Control for sports still requires
interactions
between
file-based
workflows and the live broadcast. This
can be in circumstances when a new
highlights reel is available during a
break or after full-time, or perhaps
a new commercial has been sold
and is yet to be processed ready for
broadcast. In this case the need is for
a sophisticated workflow system that
is aware of playlist order and the time
that piece of content is required to be
ready. By enabling on-air time-based
prioritisation in file processing
http://www.inbroadcast.com http://www.s-a-m.com https://s-a-m.com/news-events/news-press/sam-s-morpheus-ux-defines-a-new-era-in-multi-channel-playout/ https://s-a-m.com/products/sq-server/c-24/p-182
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