Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) Systems Integration 2015 | Page 14

Ideal Systems lends a learning hand

by kamarul arifin
The broadcast training system , built on site by Ideal Systems , is a full end-to-end broadcastgrade built with softwarebased systems .
Class members for the new
Higher NITEC Certificate course in Broadcast & Media
Technology .
After a series of successful installations for broadcast heavyweights such as Fox Sports Asia , Singtel and Globecast Asia , Ideal Systems returns yet again — this time touching the hearts of students in the heartland of Singapore .
Earlier this year , the Institute of Technical Education ( ITE ) College Central in Singapore commissioned systems integrator Ideal System with an eight-week build-and-deliver project to install an end-to-end broadcast solution for its students .
The campus has since deployed Ideal System ’ s SoftCast Technology Platform as a key technology platform underpinning its new full-time Higher Nitec in Broadcast and Media Technology course , which is taught in a purposebuilt training room that can accommodate all students at their own designated workstations replicating the current technologies in use at modern television broadcast facilities .
The syllabus utilises a number of modules from the SoftCast system , which helps teach ITE students a broad spectrum of up-to-the-minute broadcast technology skills . These include : Media ingest , channel scheduling and traffic , media asset management ( MAM ), managing metadata and media asset archiving , among others
According to Tan Kay Chuan , ITE ’ s director of School of Electronics & Info- Comm Technology , the new Broadcast and Media Technology course aims to provide students with the proper training and guidance to better prepare them
Ideal Systems ’ Lee Sing Yee ( extreme left ), who is also the product manager for SoftCast , and her team setting up the SoftCast System at ITE College Central in Singapore .
for the workforce .
He explained : “ We wanted to simulate the environment to be as close as possible to the current broadcast industry that our students will be working in .”
Neng Rashidah Hussain , section head of Broadcast and Media Technology at ITE School of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology , added : “ We deployed the SoftCast Technology system because it is an effective way to train our students in a wide variety of the skills they will need to work in a modern broadcast facility .
“ There is a lot of pressure on TV channel technicians with many channels operating on-air 24 / 7 , and many have live sports and breaking news events , so it ’ s great to be able to train new technicians in an off-air but fully simulated environment , which has the pressure and fear of making on-air mistakes removed .”
The broadcast training system , built on site by Ideal Systems , is a full end-to-end broadcast-grade built with software-based systems and the standard hardware elements from a broadcast facility such as video routers and waveform monitors .
Hailing the installation , SoftCast ’ s product manager , Lee Sing Yee , said : “ We have achieved a new milestone to be able to build a broadcast system for a school , so that students are granted the actual broadcast system experience .”
And having serviced a client from the education sector , Lee noted that there are different levels of expectations and perspective as compared to broadcasters .
She elaborated : “ There are different ways of working with broadcasters and a school , as these are two very different industries . We needed to work more closely together on some aspects of the installations and come to an agreement before things could move .
“ Apart from that , there isn ’ t much difference — we have a project timeline to hit , and we need to comply to every tender specification .”
The SoftCast solution now serves the first batch of 40 students who joined the new Broadcast and Media Technology course earlier this April . These initial students are expected to graduate in March 2017 .
And the march across the APAC region continues for Ideal Systems as the company announced the recent appointment of Mark Moore as CEO of Japan , where he will be responsible for the overall business development strategies , as well as identifying emerging technologies to bring to the local market .
Moore ’ s appointment brings about coordination of new business development strategies and will be central to all sales and growth activities for Ideal Japan .
Jim Butler , managing director of Ideal Group , commented : “ Mark brings a wealth of experience to Ideal Group and his understanding of the local industry , culture and language is an asset to expand the scope of operations in Japan .”
12 / www . apb-news . com www . facebook . com / APBnews