Ross Video continues to advocate a traditional linear master control approach . The company ’ s MC-1 solution allows multi-channel , multi-language , multi-region and multi-format playout to be accommodated in an easily scaled manner while offering a central control point .

content to as many delivery channels as possible to maximise revenue ,” Fryer says . “ However , it is not enough to just stream an over-the-air broadcast . Different delivery avenues often have their own playout requirements , be it format , branding , advertisement and so on . Thus , it is often necessary to provide independent playout chains to address these differing needs .”

The modern master control system should allow broadcasters to collapse down the operational chain and minimise the amount of operational input required , reiterates SAM ’ s Mehring . Automating the control , rather than have someone physically present , is also crucial in creating more efficient master control environments moving forward . This , he adds , range from detecting errors and automatically healing systems to alerting operators and having

them perform remedial action .

“ Intelligent monitoring is one area that is invaulable as broadcasters face the need to deliver content in different formats to different platforms and territories ,” Mehring says . “ At a very basic level , the use of intelligent infrastructure has a direct impact on operational cost .”

For instance , SAM ’ s media content monitoring and control solutions are based on its Media Biometrics technology , which brings intelligent monitoring capability into play . Distributed intelligent logic engines across the workflow enable exception-based and schedule-aware monitoring , picking up issue ranging from audio to lip-sync . “ Wrapped around the whole automation environment allows the cost of operations to be brought down significantly by automating these processes and reducing human intervention ,”

Mehring adds .

While CIB and cloud solutions are gaining popularity , they are not without their drawbacks , cautions Ross Video ’ s Fryer . Because CIB solutions package everything in one box , purpose-built hardware is replicated in order to scale to multi-channel , multi-language or multi-region simulcast , he notes . “ These solutions also leave the broadcaster with limited choices , and doesn ’ t let a mid-sized facility leverage existing storage and playout infrastructure , or maintain consistent graphics workflow between production and playout .”

Where cloud-based solutions are concerned , common infrastructure is leveraged to provide easy scalability with maximised utilisation of shared hardware . However , the added complexity involved does not appeal to smaller operators , Fryer says , adding : “ These solutions are great for heavily automated playout , but do not offer the flexibility that a traditional master control system can offer when manual intervention is called for , such as breaking news or emergency backup to PCR failure .”

This , according to Fryer , goes a long way to explain why Ross Video is continuing to maintain a traditional , and sucessful , linear master control approach .

“ Our MC-1 solution is modular , allowing channel count to be increased with the addition of a single processing card ,” he continues . “ This allows multi-channel ,

multi-language , multi-region and multi-format playout to be accommodated in an easily scaled manner while offering a central control point .”

Because the system is modular , broadcasters can then integrate graphics , playout and automation solutions of their choice . This , says Fryer , provides the freedom to integrate master control into existing infrastructure and workflows , and provides a growth path with much greater flexibility than CIB solutions can offer , and in a much simpler manner than cloud-based solutions .

For SAM , the company ’ s envisioned future is one where the entire master control domain is moved into a software environment , where bespoke hardware is discarded and everything works on commodity IT — be that in a private data centre , private or public cloud , and so on .

SAM ’ s Mehring explains : “ We

are focused on making everything platform-agnostic so that our customers can choose the most appropriate platform that will give them greater flexibility in their business .

“ Everything we do on the playout side is focused on making sure things are pure software ; on the few occasions where we need to off-board some real-time processing , we might do this on GPU , which is essentially commodity IT .”

As multi-platform and nonlinear video consumption continues to rise , media workflow orchestration is another area that will become increasingly important , as Mehring concludes : “ Momentum ( SAM ’ s workflow management solution ) has been woven into and across the entire SAM product range , and we have put considerable effort into developing tools that ensure that content is in the right format for master control orchestration .”

SAM offers tools which allow one operator to look at more channels and at more focused information across multiple channels . The company also envisions a future where the entire master control domain is moved into a software environment .