Delivering the Moment
Automation Introduction
Publication Information
© 2014 Imagine Communications Corp. Proprietary and Confidential.
Imagine Communications considers this document and its contents to be proprietary and confidential. Except for making a reasonable number of copies for your own internal use, you may not reproduce this publication, or any part thereof, in any form, by any method, for any purpose, or in any language other than English without the written consent of Imagine Communications. All others uses are illegal.
This publication is designed to assist in the use of the product as it exists on the date of publication of this manual, and may not reflect the product at the current time or an unknown time in the future. This pub-lication does not in any way warrant description accuracy or guarantee the use for the product to which it refers.
Imagine Communications reserves the right, without notice to make such changes in equipment, design, specifications, components, or documentation as progress may warrant to improve the performance of the product.
Trademarks
D-SeriesTM and ADCTM are trademarks of Imagine Communications or its subsidiaries. Microsoft® and
Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective companies.
Contact Information
Imagine Communications has office locations around the world. For locations and contact information see:
http://www.imaginecommunications.com/contact us/
Support Contact Information
For support contact information see:▪ Support Contacts: http://www.imaginecommunications.com/services/technical support/ ▪ eCustomer Portal: http://support.imaginecommunications.com
Harris Automation Media Workflow
Harris Automation products and solutions enable efficient, automated management of channels – whether broadcast, broadband, mobile, or internet – that takes content from the initial idea to the point of delivery. Whether you’re building a new facility, automating media workflows or extending an existing system, Harris has the tools you need.
The Harris ONE™ approach delivers integrated, end-to-end business workflow solutions tailored specifically to the needs of the media industry. These cost-effective workflow solutions are ideal for emerging media business models and for customers upgrading media operations to digital and high-definition services.
One size doesn’t always fit all, so we accommodate for both your present and future needs with flexible solutions that span the entire media delivery chain. Create a workflow solution designed around the efficiency of your operation, not just the automation of file movement. Reduce the costs of managing your business while using your content in more ways, adding channel counts, or implementing more services, all with efficient staff utilization and in-depth oversight.
Starting with ingest into the digital domain, the solution creates the opportunity to play out and leverage your content. Edit the content, get it approved, and with every move, capture the metadata and share it across the operation – segment timings go to automation and traffic, location information goes to automation and asset management. If the content isn’t in the domain, the system automatically locates and moves it. Once ready for playout or distribution, the system delivers it to the right consumer on the right device, in the right format.
Workflows to Fit Your Needs
Harris supports a wide range of media workflows from linear playout to nonlinear distribution to complex archival projects. Our unrivalled breadth and expertise across the media industry allows Harris to offer powerful, integrated solutions that can be implemented enterprise-wide or as individual modules to satisfy a wide range of customer requirements. Our interfaces support an extensive range of broadcast equipment, from routers and switchers through to servers, archives, transcode, and more.
Using a workflow engine as the backbone, individual applications maintain focus on their core expertise – from ingest to asset management, scheduling to playout – while their common features are treated as shared resources. This creates an integrated workflow that automates the management of your content, allowing you to focus on the management of your business.
2 Extend the platform to include full traffic, scheduling and air time sales functions. Interface
with external systems using industry standard tools and techniques while ensuring the security and reliability of mission critical operations. Seamless integration across all modules ensures that all elements of your operation are synchronized and status-aware.
Features
Automation media workflows are highly flexible and configurable to support operations from the simplest playout facility to large media operations that implement sophisticated multi platform delivery requiring highly automated, efficient and reliable operations. Modules and workflows can be added and scaled as required to address evolving operational needs.
NOTE: Features and functions available within the automation media workflow depend on the modules implemented and your operational environment.
Scalable solution for management of media, including tape, server and archived material.
Comprehensive ingest functionality with metadata sharing • Tape prep and manual ingest• High volume automatic tape ingest • Live feed ingest
• File-based ingest
• Automatic or manual or timing • Automated QA/QC options
Material transfer/distribution• LAN/WAN transfer and server/server
• Schedule, work order or rules based processing • Archive/hierarchical storage
• FTP acceleration
• Transcode and proxy support
Playout• Scalable linear playout functionality • High operator efficiency
• Disaster recover/remote site operation • 1-1000 channel solutions
Automated Media Workflows
Manage the acquisition and movement of content throughout your operation using automated media workflows designed to maximize use of media assets while reducing costs and
minimizing human intervention. Enhanced media workflow tools are added seamlessly to choreograph automated workflows for nearly all file-based operations. These enhanced media workflows are trigged by the automation modules to initiate pre-assigned processes, such as:
The pre-staging and processing of material for transmission.
Digital media ingest, transcoding, media duplication, or transport.
Automated transfers to associated tasks like Quality Control (QC) or closed-caption extraction.
Staged clip transfer (with multiple destination formats) and location monitoring.
The monitoring and dynamic control of media storage and transfers: Archive, Near-line, OnNear-line, Transcodes, and Subclipping.
3
Advanced Media Ingest Workflows
Design workflows to enable your entire broadcast enterprise to control front-end ingest and transfer media and its associated metadata from tape to storage and archive devices. Satisfy your multi-channel ingest requirements – whether your content acquisition and preparation processes are file-based, automatic, or include more traditional methods of ingest.
Core ingest modules provide comprehensive management facilities to support advanced workflows such as file-based ingest, transcode/reformatting and distribution, and proxy generation. Ingest, move and deliver data as your operations demand.
Baseband material ingest is handled by core automation modules configured to run with a combination of manual and automatic workflow processes. These workflows are optimized to provide maximum throughput and efficiency, automatic resource allocation, simultaneous main / reserve recording, and automatic detection of new material from third party systems without additional gateway modules.
Tape Preparation
Time and prepare tapes prior to ingest/use. Enter metadata into the SQL database including the ability to set secondary event offsets and durations. Once in the database, this metadata is immediately available to other modules or external systems. Single segment, multi
segment, and multi spots tapes are supported along with barcoding and userbit read/write.
VTR Ingest
Manual ingest from tape includes full device control for previewing and reviewing material both off tape and off server. To aid operator efficiency, automatically recall metadata from tapes previously prepared, and read metadata from userbits or barcodes on tapes prepared by third party systems - not just to populate record events, but also to automatically assign devices.
As required, manually create ingest events based on arriving material or from dublists supplied by scheduling or asset management modules. Once ingested, metadata, including location of ingested material, is immediately available to the playout module or external systems.
Batch Ingest
Perform large scale batch ingest of material through workflows configured to automatically import and load a dub list / ingest list. Feed multiple encoders from an ingest list or dub list with allocation of source devices based on material location; material is automatically ingested as it becomes available. Missing material displays highlight content that is not currently available. On ingest either, automatically QC/accept the clips, or hold the clips for manual spot check by the operator.
When batch ingesting via VTR, the ingest module automatically allocates cart machines and decks based on material location, allowing a simple load and forget operation. The system continuously monitors the VTR decks signal quality and gives a choice of either
warning/logging poor quality or aborting the ingest operation. The logging contains full details of the deck allocated to allow fault diagnosis/correction.
File-based Ingest and Transfer
Define and configure workflows to monitor required locations and control the ingest and transfer of file-based material. As required, include any required transcode, Quality Control (QC) and subsequent distribution of material. Trigger the workflows by automatic detection of material, ingest lists, or from the ingest/playout automation modules. When material is transferred onto a server by a third party application, it is automatically detected by the core module, database records are created, and item availability is updated. Similarly, material deleted by external applications is detected and databases and system are updated.
4
Configure workflows as automated processes for file-based material ingest and transfer to Playout server, Archive, Ingest, Post Production servers, and Near Line storage.
Display the status of current active file transfers.
Update media information in the Automation database when a change in a storage device is detected (i.e. new ID, Updated ID and/or Deleted ID).
Manage the transcode of material into and out of the broadcast domain. (Example: Move files in from post production or reformatting and then distributing for web TV.)Live Record
Control the recording of live material manually, automatically, or trigger it by playout operations. Make live recordings available for immediate use or QC as required. Time and segment live recordings either after the recording or while it is still occurring. Perform manual or automatic timing based on playout use and automatically update existing schedule data.
Material Administration
In a multi device/distributed system, the ability to centrally manage the delete, purge, and kill of server and archive-based material is essential. By monitoring the playout requirements of connected modules the ingest module can, if required, prevent the inadvertent purging of material required on active lists or kill material irrespective of scheduled requirements. The database records are immediately updated following such actions.
Metadata Management
During the ingest process content Metadata is entered into the SQL database - this includes the ability to set secondary event offsets and durations. Once entered, this metadata is immediately available to other modules or external systems.
When a change in a Device storage is detected (e.g.. a New, Updated, and/or Deleted ID), the media information is updated in the Automation database.
Manually or automatically export selected records from a local automation database to one or multiple remote station databases.
Allow external systems to import material records/metadata from the automation SQL database or query the contents of the database. Import and query are done via dedicated platforms using SQL replication to avoid any possible risk to the main database.Metadata import allows the creation of records prior to the availability of material to smooth out the ingest process. The query mechanism allows external systems, such as scheduling, to have the latest up to date information of both material metadata and availability allowing the preparation of accurate and up to date schedules including last minute changes.
Synchronize between the automation database and the asset management module database to ensure consistency of content metadata, status, and availability.Example Ingest workflow (w/ Transcode, FTP, and Archive)
Quality Control Workflows
In a highly automated multi-device system, quality control is critical. Typically, a variety of manual and automated QC techniques are used, from basic off disk replay/review to signal quality monitoring and file-based analysis and correction. The status of material is displayed on operational machines throughout the chain.
Apply a variety of workflows to meet the quality control requirements of your operation, such as:
Review material that requires full content as well as technical assessment using off disk confidence replay either during ingest or after, with the clip held fromtransfer/playout until accepted and made available to the rest of the operation.
Hold batch ingested material for either full or spot check before release. The operator can retime as well as check the content.
During VTR ingest the ingest module continuously monitors the off tape quality status from the VTR and can either warn and log poor quality for subsequent review or abort the ingest and automatically log the reason.
Use automated file-based QC to either automatically test all new material on a server or have files routed to it as required by the workflow module. Measure file quality and automatically corrected if desired. Material that does not pass the automated quality check process is inhibited from air playout and transfer to other storage devices. The combination of automation and QC modules with Nexio allows the display of clip QC status in playlists to keep playout operators fully aware of item status and availability.
Example Quality Control workflow (w/ Transcode, FTP, and Archive)
Automation Playout Workflows
The Harris Automation playout module is designed for scalable multi-channel operations (1-1000 linear playout channels) with functionality to match a wide range of market
requirements. Within a Harris Automation Media Workflow solution this results in an integrated, high-quality, multichannel broadcast operation that is efficient and on-air continuously with a minimal amount of manual intervention.
Using automated media workflows:
Bring together everything needed to automate labor-intensive processes, eliminate duplication, process live streams sourced outside of master control, and efficiently manage the multitude of complex operations that are part of the master control environment.
Pre-stage material either by pre processing lists or by multi day schedules loaded which are automatically or manually updated from scheduling. The automation module reports item availability for loaded lists, giving the operators full confidence in material availability from their schedule display.
Monitor all live schedules and alternate schedules to ensure material is transferred to the On Air devices in plenty of time, satisfying all channels requirements.Schedule Management
Manage schedules through review, editing, real-time event execution and device control. Schedule analysis and monitoring provides material availability, status information, system and channel errors, as well as identification of source conflicts across all channels. Define User profiles to govern access to specified range of channels and operator functions.
7
Integrated Automation Database
The automation ingest and playout modules work autonomously, but share the same SQL Automation Database for content metadata storage. This distributes task and function for optimal use of computer processing.
Device Control
The automation modules implement real time device control (IP, Serial RS422, and/or GPI) to manage a wide variety of broadcast devices.Operator productivity is maximized through the efficient, automated delivery of content to multiple platforms.
Close integration with all Harris infrastructure products.
Supports mirrored transmission sources and includes N+m shared backup server models.Dynamic Schedule and As-Run Updating
BXF compliant messaging enables a dynamic schedule and as-run workflow between automation and traffic modules. This allows day-of-air changes made in the traffic module to be electronically sent to the automation module. Automatically and synchronously updating playlist event changes and auto-appending events to playlists from input coming from the traffic module ensures playlists are always current and at full capacity.
System Upgrades
Perform in-service upgrades, expansion and configuration with minimal or no impact on operations. This means zero on-air downtime for stations.
System Redundancy
Highly fault-tolerant client-server architecture provides maximum reliability and inherent redundancy. Additional redundancy and automatic failover options provide for enhanced system protection. Additionally, shared resources can be configured to provide cost-effective backup for less critical channels.
Disaster Recovery
Remote hot sites for immediate disaster recovery can be set up to guard against the
catastrophic failure of a primary Operation Center. A Disaster Recovery Site is automatically synchronized with the main Operation Center site to ensure the integrity of the on-air content. Remote operator access is accommodated for disaster recovery across wide area networks (WANs).
Example Playout workflow: Request Missing ID (a continuous process)
Optional Asset Management Workflows
Configure more complex workflows to manage media assets over their complete lifecycle from ingest to cataloging, storage and retrieval. Programming, Production and
Post-Production realize immediate benefits: faster access to the media, higher technical quality (no dubbing requirements), and greater visibility of the media and metadata across the
Enterprise.
Expand your workflows to encompass enterprise-wide, digital asset management functionality:
Add key metadata, down to frame level to help find and retrieve content rapidly, effectively and productively across the enterprise.
Search, find, retrieve and utilize the exact content you need.
Manage content logically using folders as content comes in or based on key search criteria.
Create projects through low resolution proxies that deliver desktop efficiency mapped to professional media workflows.
Speed up the management of live feeds, logging metadata to key frames as content, and captured geospatial information. Repurpose and tag content in near real-time. Ideal for live news and sports application workflows.
Set transmission rights for material to define on which channel or channels a particular piece of material can be used.
Harris Automation Solutions
ONE Company for Workflow Solutions throughout the Media Chain
Harris is the ONE company delivering interoperable workflow solutions across the entire media delivery chain — providing today’s broadcaster with a single, integrated approach to capitalize on the benefits of IT and mobile applications. By providing unparalleled
interoperability across our product portfolio, Harris is able to offer customers integrated solutions that improve workflows, save money, enable new revenue streams and provide a migration path to emerging media business models. To meet the evolving needs of broadcast, distribution, government agencies and entertainment businesses, Harris is the ONE answer for change.
Service and Support
At Harris, we are committed to customer service excellence. It is our goal to provide the highest level of support by applying a simple rule: We take ownership of helping our
customers succeed. Our support teams consist of innovative technical experts who support all situations regarding product performance, integration and operational processing. We are adept at providing proven solutions, making workflows better and ensuring reliability of the product and system.
At Harris, our experienced and dedicated teams stand ready to help you meet your goals for premium product performance, 100% up-time and reduced maintenance investment.
Warranty
Because we want to assure you that Harris stands beside its products and system solutions, our products carry a standard set of warranty services, which are competitive with — and in some cases outperform — others in the industry.
Service Packages
We offer value-add services that allow you to customize the level of services you need in meeting mission-critical performance levels. Our service package options offer many ways to upgrade your standard warranty by choosing the All- Inclusive OnePak, or by selecting individual services from our extensive portfolio. Our service and support advisors can assist in the selection of the individual services that best suit your requirements.
Harris Finance Services
Finance an entire systems integration project with customized financial models that fit your revenue dynamics, all wrapped in single monthly payments. To further maximize on your investment, the agreement can cover upgrades to your equipment and address future expansion of your Harris solution.
Contact Numbers
North America +1 800 231 9673
Caribbean and Latin America +1 786 437 1960 Europe, Middle East and Africa +44 (0) 118 964 8200 Asia, Pacific Rim +852 2776 0628
References
For more information on the Harris vision and the workflow described in this brochure, visit: http://www.apb-news.com/images/downloads/apbconnexxion09-special-report.pdf
Taking Automation to the Enterprise Level from IBE Magazine
Harris is a registered trademark of Harris Corporation. Trademarks and tradenames are the property of their respective companies.
©2009 Harris Corporation
