22 MANAGEMENT
July 2017
Boosting efficiency in news production
by david east
David East is director , News Business Development , APAC at Grass Valley .
The global news market has never been more competitive . For broadcasters in today ’ s 24 / 7 news world , the stakes are high to keep viewers engaged . Breaking news becomes old news faster than ever as broadcasters work hard to keep up not only with each other , but also with the 24-hour news cycle and social media journalists . Grass Valley , a Belden Brand , understands that as the news environment changes , broadcast equipment must change as well to adapt to mobile studios , new media platforms including digital and social , and the growing use of user-generated content ( UGC ). The newly upgraded GV STRATUS 5.7 , EDIUS 8.5 and Ignite v10 are designed to meet these shifting customer needs .
Not too long ago , a typical news operation was essentially one reporter or anchor sitting at a desk , reading to a camera on the five o ’ clock programme . In a very short time , news has exploded from a static , half-hour broadcast to 24-hour coverage on TV , digital and social , including up-to-theminute data and real-time graphics . As news breaks , broadcasters require flexible , collaborative solutions to keep up with the pace and create quality programming . The latest upgrade to GV STRATUS adds powerful transcoding options to the world-class video and workflow orchestration platform . Additionally , the XRE multi-format / multi-codec video file transcoder is now fully integrated into GV STRATUS , enabling broadcasters to ingest a wide range of UGC , leveraging the concept of “ edit anything ”, a philosophy that has been a unique feature of Grass Valley ’ s EDIUS platform for more than a decade .
The XRE transcoder is a standalone conversion solution that enables broadcasters and media companies to automate the transcoding of media files , using watch folders that can be placed anywhere on a network . Transcoding is fully optimised to the host machine ’ s specifications and is faster than real-time in many cases . And most importantly , the XRE transcoder is unique in that it will allow editing of growing files as they are transcoded .
GV STRATUS Newsroom Bundles are designed to bring the power of GV STRATUS to smaller news operations , delivering the full resources
For broadcasters in today ’ s 24 / 7 news world , the stakes are high to keep viewers engaged .
As news breaks , broadcasters require flexible , collaborative solutions to keep up with the pace and create quality programming . The latest upgrade to GV STRATUS adds powerful transcoding options to video and workflow orchestration platform , says Grass Valley .
of the newsroom to the field , so that producers can get stories to air faster . This gives news operations the opportunity to engage viewers faster than ever , with compelling reporting and fully edited , ready-to-air packages . GV STRATUS Newsroom Bundles are available in three configurations : GV STRATUS Newsroom Express , GV STRATUS Newsroom Pro and GV STRATUS Newsroom Elite .
Based on the tight integration between GV STRATUS and the EDIUS non-linear editing ( NLE ) platform , and a unique and highly optimised hybrid editing workflow , journalists can mix and move low-resolution and high-resolution assets — including so-called “ wild files ” from citizen journalists — across multiple sites , and perform full editing in the field with EDIUS Workgroup , included standard in all GV STRATUS Newsroom configurations . Because proxy files are used extensively and intelligently , there is no need for complex storage area network ( SAN ) configurations .
EDIUS supports a huge range of codecs and formats , many of them natively . It is this ability to “ edit anything ” that gives EDIUS the reputation of being the fastest NLE on the market , and a natural fit for news editing . Whether the field source material comes from camcorders ,
DSLRs , smartphones or dashcams , EDIUS can edit them all . The powerful combination of GV STRATUS and EDIUS provides a wide range of tools for news editing and production . Using the same editor in the field and the newsroom saves time and resources , without the need to train users on different editing tools .
Even breaking news programmes require editing before broadcast . EDIUS Pro and EDIUS Workgroup are now faster than ever and able to export , decode and add metadata in more formats . Among other usability improvements , the editing platform now includes “ PQ Gamma ” support of Primary Colour Collection video filter for high dynamic range ( HDR ) editing . EDIUS 8.5 ’ s companion personal content management tool , Mync , has also been enhanced to feature more storyboard export options .
Ignite is designed as the industry ’ s first and most complete link between the control room and the newsroom , providing an unmatched return on investment with single-operator capabilities . It allows a single operator to manage control room devices used to produce live newscasts and event programming , making it possible to control on-air timing , accommodate last-minute show changes and direct any type of production on-the-fly . It also makes it easier to repurpose content for digital multicasting and webcasts , increasing overall production value .
Ignite v10 brings more flexibility where breaking and unscripted productions are concerned and now supports a completely customisable user interface UI , letting users configure a unique layout for every show . Additionally , Ignite PT ( Persistent Templates ) allow operators to make last-minute changes to production events directly inside the Ignite rundown , removing the need to go to the newsroom computer system ( NRCS ) for changing live broadcasts . The Ignite playlist has been redesigned with speed in mind , featuring lightning-fast playlist updates — less than one second regardless of rundown size . The combination of these and other version 10 enhancements means that Ignite is the only solution on the market , which can handle scripted , unscripted , and chaotic productions where events are constantly changing .
The competitive edge of broadcast news makes it critical to work faster and smarter on the scene . Through better management of assets , better integration of metadata and better ability to deliver content to multiple platforms , Grass Valley is helping broadcasters improve the news experience for loyal viewers .