Broadcast Beat Magazine 2018 NAB Show Edition | Page 100
tem is redesigned around an
IP-enabled workflow that takes
advantage of the new world
of packet-based signal distri-
bution, a node failure does not
have to mean a network failure.
An IP-based prompting system
creates connectivity without
requiring point-to-point con-
nections, and therefore deliv-
ers core redundancy. At the
prompting application level,
this enables a full-redundancy
failsafe by which a mirrored
PC running the application can
seamlessly take over, with com-
plete time synchronization, if
the first PC/application fails
and without manual interven-
tion. When the first application
recovers, it drops into standby
mode, at the ready should the
active PC fail.
Video delivery to the prompt-
ing monitors is another area
that presents an opportunity
for building in failsafe redun-
dancy. Sending the full video
feed over IP might seem like the
obvious approach for deliver-
ing prompting video, but video
over IP has a number of poten-
tial drawbacks including band-
width challenges, latency issues,
and synchronization errors. The
solution is to bu ild intelligent
scroll technology into every
monitor, enabling each to gen-
erate a video output from small
unicast data packets sent from
prompting software. In other
words, rather than all monitors
relying on a single video stream
– and thus a single point of fail-
ure – each monitor on the net-
work produces its own video.
Therefore, if a single monitor
goes down, it won’t take the
entire network with it.
IP network, every monitor can
remain in constant communi-
cation with the master appli-
cation to ensure reliable syn-
chronization and centralized
management. A single operator
can keep an eye on multiple
prompters and call each one up
with an individualized naming
process to see, at a glance, if
each device is working prop-
erly.
In Conclusion
To fully appreciate the potential
of IP prompting, consider
the talent’s point of view.
At the end of the day,
the anchor or other on-
air personality doesn’t care
how the scripts are delivered;
he or she just wants to be able
to read the text at a comfort-
able and adjustable pace, with
no hiccups or interruptions.
For an IP-based teleprompting
solution, it all comes down to
the right built-in intelligence to
create failsafe redundancy and
create a win-win situation: tal-
ent is enabled, rather than hin-
dered, by the technology, and
the broadcast operation is able
to take maximum advantage of
IP’s connectivity, flexibility, ease
of use, and cost efficiencies.
With less data sent over the
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