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Smart Playout CenterGrass Valley’s new playout solution exceeds the needs of today’s broadcasters for channel delivery while maximizing efficiency, lowering OPEX and maintaining an attractive on-air look.

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Many broadcasters around the world face a common problem: how to maximize channel playout capacity without driv-ing up operation expenses—all the while

maintaining the highly polished look their viewers have come to expect.

Compounding this challenge is an explosion in the popularity of new consumer devices, such as smart-phones and media tablets, that demand the attention of broadcasters who wish to remain competitive.

Traditionally, to address their channel playout needs, broadcasters have tied together disparate tech-nologies from a variety of vendors with automation systems to orchestrate and execute playback of their on-air schedule. However, this approach is being pushed to the limit, tested by the need to playout con-tent for multiple linear channels along with secondary media files, such as voiceovers, subtitles and branding. Add to that the need to meet the growing demand for non-linear content, and many broadcasters would say they are beyond the limit.

Grass Valley’s Smart Playout Center addresses the evolving playout requirements of broadcasters by inte-grating the three essential elements necessary to orga-nize, control and playout channels. The Smart Playout Center combines Grass Valley’s K2 Edge playout nodes, K2 TX/MAM Server, Channel Composer graphics and

Figure 1: SES Platform Services, Germany

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branding solution, and Cobalt playlist manager to provide a scalable, robust playout solution for everything from simple linear channels to advanced channels with rich graphics, secondary audio and sophisticated branding.

From a strategic point of view, the Smart Playout Center sharpens broad-casters’ competitive edge, even in the face of emerging new competition from alternative media aggregators and dis-tributors in a number of ways. First, it reduces the cost-per-channel of aggregat-ing, managing and distributing content. Second, the Smart Playout Center makes system scaling affordable and minimizes the cost of adding new services as playout requirements evolve. Third, the system reduces OPEX for media aggregation and distribution by streamlining program preparation for playback and automating processes normally reserved for post-pro-duction, thereby cutting costs, without compromising quality.

Playout piecesGrass Valley put itself on the path to of-fering an integrated playout solution for television with the 2011 acquisition of PubliTronic, a global provider of multi-channel, integrated, automated playout solutions. Integrated with Grass Valley’s K2 server family, PubliTronic’s software solutions formed the foundation for the Smart Playout Center. Continued development and integration with the K2 servers was guided by Grass Valley’s long history with broadcasters and an understanding of their unique require-ments. As such, the Grass Valley Smart

Playout Center represents far more than a simple “channel-in-a-box” solution. It represents a true broadcast-oriented solution delivering the reliability and robust performance television broad-casters must have to guarantee smooth, uninterrupted service to viewers.

To ingest and organize content, the Smart Playout Center relies on the K2 TX/MAM asset management software, originally developed by PubliTronic, running on Grass Valley’s K2 TX/MAM Server. K2 TX/MAM software uses a Web-based GUI, which makes it easy for operators to organize and control all assets, including video and audio clips, captioning, metadata and graphic elements. The asset management sys-tem streamlines the process of tracking, packing and approving all program as-sets and data for playout of files from wherever they are stored.

The K2 TX/MAM asset management system performs several critical functions, such as file ingest, trim, low-res proxy quality control and secondary essence management, as well as provides support for closed captions and subtitles, custom-izable metadata, user rights management, a transmission dashboard and FTP inter-face to storage alternatives.

It is equally adept at organizing and preparing primary and secondary pro-gram material, such as voiceovers, closed captioning and branding. It organizes assets into playout-ready files and gener-ates missing asset lists to identify poten-tial problems and make their resolution simple and fast.

The primary strength of K2 TX/MAM

Figure 2: Multi-processor, purpose-built device with high availability architecture

Why the Grass Valley Smart Playout Center make sense

Many television stations and networks are facing new complexities as their playout requirements grow. Multicast channels on the local level, greater cen-tralization by some station groups and the addition of new special-interest chan-nels by networks are threatening to undo gains made in workflow efficiencies over the past few years.

Grass Valley’s Smart Playout Center tackles these demands by leveraging IT technology that organizes content, creates visually appealing channels and manages playout.

Smart Playout Center system components include Grass Valley’s K2 TX/MAM asset management software and server, Channel Composer software, Cobalt playout management software and K2 Edge playout nodes.

Together these components create a complete system that gives broadcasters a way to maintain an efficient workflow, even as channel count grows. The Smart Playout Center reduces the cost-per-channel to aggregate, manage and distribute content, lowers OPEX by streamlining program preparation and offers affordable system scaling to minimize the cost of adding new channels.

In today’s world in which it is easy for viewers to watch programming on multiple competitive platforms, many broadcasters are looking for a way to deliver niche channels—but only if they can do so without driving up operating expenses. The Grass Valley Smart Playout Center provides an affordable, robust solution to help broadcasters reap greater profits. It gives them the ability to add new channels without substantially driving up their operating expenses.

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is its ability to simplify the workflow needed to prepare content for air. This is particularly important to individual stations looking to add incremental rev-enue by launching new multicast chan-nels as well as broadcast networks that must prepare multiple channels for their distribution partners.

K2 TX/MAM delivers simpler work-flows and lower operational costs by re-moving the complexity typically associat-ed with conventional media management systems. Deployment and modifications to conventional systems that incorpo-rate servers, graphics, subtitling, archives, storage, transcoders and converters from multiple vendors are often complicated by the “glue” functionality needed to tie these disparate systems together.

In contrast, the K2 TX/MAM is a tightly integrated component of the Smart Playout Center, which has been designed to leverage integrated IT-optimized play-out features. Built to streamline transmis-sion media management, it allows station operations to automate workflows and provides early feedback mechanisms to keep media preparation on track. Overall, it reduces labor and manual intervention at the final stage of content preparation.

As a result, K2 TX/MAM, along with the Channel Composer graphics manage-ment and Cobalt playout management systems, deliver an efficient workflow that allows channels with sophisticated brand-ing to go to air for less than the expense of a conventional multivendor approach.

Channel lookThe Smart Playout Center makes no compromises when it comes to creat-ing and controlling the visual appeal of channels. Grass Valley’s Channel Com-poser software is like a canvas for artists tasked with creating the on-air look of a station. The software is an innovative way to create channel branding off-line using design tools for Mac and Windows. For artists, it pulls the creative process one step away from the technical infra-structure, while providing unparalleled

integration with playout and media asset management.

Channel Composer has the ability to import all K2 Edge-supported media formats for 2-D and 3-D static and ani-mated graphics files. Artists can use these elements to create layouts that are saved as templates, which can include sophis-ticated DVE moves, including squeeze-backs and picture-in-picture. The K2 TX/MAM asset management system in turn uses these templates along with graphic elements and data streams. They are referenced together as “live” integrat-ed elements in the on-air playlist.

Another important function of Chan-nel Composer is to export the complete channel design as a single package, which includes chosen graphical elements, such as backgrounds and placeholders, to the central database. The software then man-ages the activation date of the package for a designated channel.

As a graphics tool, Channel Composer is a powerful program offering support for 2-D and 3-D HD and SD graphics, multiple live feed and clip playback, un-limited layering and a variety of blending modes and effects. The tool provides art-ists with a prefab object library and prefab elements such as clocks and tickers. Pre-sented in a timeline editing motif, Chan-nel Composer makes using keyframed animations simple and offers a preview on PC workstations.

Cobalt playoutGrass Valley’s Cobalt playout management software manages playout of files in the K2 Edge Smart Playout Center. It offers the flexibility to handle playout requirements ranging from simple to complex. Thanks to its modular architecture, Cobalt can easily manage the playout requirements of a sole linear channel as well as multiple advanced channels with a variety of rich content el-ements, such as voiceovers, graphics and branding.

For simple, cost-effective deploy-ments, Cobalt can manage playlists, ag-gregate data from the playlist and TX/

Track, pack and approve Think about all of the content com-ponents that are necessary to put a channel on the air. The obvious things, such as programs, commercials and promos, come first to mind. However, there are many other elements such as voiceovers, closed captions and chan-nel branding elements that give a chan-nel its own unique identity.

To make ingest and organization of these elements easy and efficient, the Smart Playout Center relies on the K2 TX/MAM asset management software running on Grass Valley’s K2 TX/MAM Server.

The K2 TX/MAM software streamlines tracking, packing and approval of all program assets and data to support playout of files from wherever they reside. It organizes all content assets, including video and audio clips, captioning, metadata and graphic elements, into playout-ready files and generates missing asset lists to identify potential problems and make their resolution simple and fast.

From its Web-based GUI, operators access and control ingest, trimming, low-res proxy quality control and secondary essence management. K2 TX/MAM software provides tools to support closed captions and subtitles, customizable metadata and user rights management, and offers a transmission dashboard and an FTP interface to storage alternatives.

The K2 TX/MAM simplifies workflows and reduces operating costs by eliminating the complexity associated with the traditional approach of “gluing” together a variety of technologies from different vendors.

This simplicity pays dividends for individual stations interested in adding incremental revenue from the launch of new multicast channels and for broadcast networks needing to distribute multiple channels to their cable, satellite and IPTV distribution partners while maintaining acceptable OPEX.

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MAM database for secondary events, and manage playout on a single plat-form. For multi-channel, high-resiliency requirements, it offers native support for n+1 and 1+1 redundancy of all playout channels without a single point of fail-ure. To increase the overall reliability of the system, each K2 Edge playout node has its own playout database, which is drawn from the central database when the traffic list is imported.

Cobalt also produces savings because the way in which it handles assets and metadata allows users to automate func-tions normally done in post-production. But those savings don’t come at the ex-pense of quality. The same sophisticated graphics functionality can be preserved and played back by Cobalt.

Grass Valley implemented a client-server architecture with Cobalt in which client software runs on standard off-the-shelf Windows client PCs while in-sulating mission-critical assets essential for playout on separate K2 Linux-based playout nodes.

Cobalt can be integrated into existing operations that already have scheduling, traffic, workflow and storage systems. Standard XML interfaces are available as part of Cobalt. Alternately, Grass Valley offers integration services with various third-party systems, including—but not limited to—Aveco, Diva, HP, DMS, Pro-Consultant, Provys, RCS Selector and SGT.

Besides Cobalt, Channel Composer and K2 TX/MAM, there are a few other components that make the Smart Play-out Center an advanced, integrated sys-tem for organizing, controlling and play-ing out content to air.

Grass Valley’s RTic, or Real-Time Information Collector, makes possible quick, easy integration of information from external data sources. For instance, stock ticker data, graphics and weather conditions and temperatures can be added with RTic.

To do so, RTic receives data from var-ious sources, including XML, databases, Excel files and SMS files, that can even trigger on-air animations. This data is

formatted and sent right to air using de-signs that have been created with Grass Valley’s Channel Composer. If desired, this operation can be controlled via Co-balt playlist management. On-air graph-ics, animations, clips and text can all be manipulated in real time.

The other key component making up the Smart Playout Center is the K2 Edge playout node. Unlike some chan-nel-in-a-box alternatives, these purpose-built devices are designed to deliver the resilience, performance and scalability required by broadcasters.

As broadcasters’ needs evolve, these systems can grow to match. For example, since the Smart Playout Center plays cached content only, it is important to be able to grow the cache size on K2 Edge playout nodes, which are available with 1TB of storage as standard. As more stor-age is needed, an optional 5TB of storage is available for the K2 Edge playout node.

Alternative approachThe Grass Valley Smart Playout Center meets the needs of broadcasters looking to deploy an IT-based solution for most single and multi-channel playout ap-plications. However, there are occasions when some broadcasters may find an alternate approach desirable.

For example, broadcasters who have made a significant investment in tradi-tional transmission chains and are not looking to make a quick transition with their existing workflow may find a Grass Valley K2 Summit–based solution to be appropriate. Other instances include operations that depend on particular employees who are closely tied to exist-ing playout control interfaces as well as operations that do a lot of live switching between scheduled programming and live feeds from the studio or field.

Grass Valley’s K2 Summit servers and storage are well-suited for these cir-cumstances because they offer a proven infrastructure that has a strong track re-cord of integrating with various master control, automation, asset management and archive systems. K2 Summit-based

Channel Composer In a world with hundreds of channel choices and ample availability of content over the top, a station’s look can mean the difference between visually identifying (for viewers) that they’re watching the channel they desire and blending into the pack—unnoticed and indistinguishable from the rest.

Recognizing how critical creating and controlling the visual brand identity of a channel is to a station’s success, Grass Valley created Channel Composer as a no-compromise software solution for the artists tasked with the job. Channel Composer provides artists with an offline creative space to integrate all of the graphic elements and effects they need to achieve the look they desire.

Channel Composer lets artists create channel branding offline using design tools for Mac and Windows. It allows artists to import all K2 Edge-supported media formats for 2-D and 3-D static and animated graphics files. Artists then can use these visual elements to create specific looks and save them as templates. Even DVE moves, such as picture-in-picture effects and squeezebacks, can be added to the templates.

The K2 TX/MAM asset management system then uses these templates along with referenced graphic elements and data streams to package “live” integrated elements in the on-air playlist.

Channel Composer supports 2-D and 3-D HD and SD graphics, multiple live feed and clip playback, unlimited layering and a variety of blending modes and effects. It also has handy tools such as a prefab object library and prefab elements to make integrating commonly used visual elements, such as clocks and tickers, quick and simple.

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solutions provide dedicated media I/O, superior storage capacity and band-width for recording, playback, file trans-fers and editing.

A K2 Summit-based solution also can leverage Grass Valley’s STRATUS Media Workflow Application Framework to meet the need for production tools that can be used in the playout chain as well as for live and news workflows.

Fade to blackWhether it’s a call letter local station, a large broadcast group or even broad-cast and cable networks, the need for streamlined transmission chain and distribution workflows, lower operating expenses and greater personnel efficien-cies has never been greater. In many in-stances, existing methods of organizing, controlling and playing out program-ming are, at best, impeding operations from exploiting new revenue opportu-nities and, at worst, creating a financial drag on the organization.

Compounding the problem is the explosion in new content distribution platforms that demand broadcasters sharpen any available competitive edge. Smartphones, media tablets and other devices are presenting viewers with an abundance of content sources that didn’t exist a few years ago.

To address these challenges, broad-casters are increasingly exploiting mul-ticasting opportunities—from simul-cast and original Mobile DTV channels to second and even third SD multicast channels.

However, as local broadcasters add new channels and broadcast groups and networks create new alternatives to build regional and national audiences, there has been no commensurate increase in personnel and operating budgets. In fact, some of these new channels only make fi-nancial sense if there’s a playout solution that can increase channel count with little to no increase in operating expense.

Grass Valley’s Smart Playout Center delivers what is required to take advan-tage of these emerging opportunities. They make it possible to add incremen-tal revenue by adding new channels that otherwise would be financially unviable. Not only does the Smart Playout Center streamline operations and increase effi-ciency, it also delivers the look and ap-peal of any channel brought to air with a conventional approach.

For broadcasters grappling with how to add channels, improve efficiency, re-duce operating costs and maintain the look their viewers are accustomed to, there is no better choice than the Grass Valley Smart Playout Center.

Cobalt playout automation Grass Valley’s Cobalt playout management software is where it all comes together in the Smart Playout Center. Cobalt manages the playout of files, whether for a single linear channel or multiple advanced channels with rich content elements.

Based on a modular architecture that makes system scaling easy, Cobalt manages playlists, aggregates data from the playlist and K2 TX/MAM database for secondary events and manages playout from a single platform.

For added reliability, Cobalt uses a client-server architecture that runs client software on off-the-shelf Windows client PCs while protecting mission-critical assets that are needed for playout on separate Linux-based K2 Edge playout nodes. These playout nodes are purpose-built for the delivery of video, graphics and secondary media such as branding, closed captions and secondary audio .

To accommodate demanding multi-channel, high-resiliency applications, Cobalt offers native support for n+1 and 1+1 redundancy of all playout channels without a single point of failure.

Broadcasters also realize cost savings when they deploy Cobalt because of the way it handles assets and metadata, which automates functions typically done in post-production without sacrificing quality.

Cobalt works with existing operations that already have established scheduling, traffic, workflow and storage systems. To make integration with these systems easier, Cobalt supports standard XML interfaces. Grass Valley also offers integration services with third-party systems, such as those from Aveco, Diva, HP, DMS, ProConsultant, Provys, RCS Selector and SGT.

GV Playout workflows

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K2 Edge playout node Grass Valley’s K2 Edge playout nodes are robust, Linux-based platforms built specifically for mission-critical 24/7 playout applications. In terms of function, K2 Edge playout nodes host Cobalt playlist management.

They work with most common video servers and can import files in a wide variety of formats. K2 Edge playout nodes support common broadcast file wrappers such as MXF, GXF and LXF as well as QuickTime, WMV and AVI files.

The K2 Edge playout nodes deliver the resilience, performance and scalability required by broadcasters. Housed in a compact 1RU chassis, K2 Edge is a high-performance server supporting SD to 3G 1080p playout. With up to eight configurable SDI inputs and outputs, the server includes redundant hard disk drives and power supplies.

The K2 Edge playout node is a purpose-built delivery platform for video, graphics and secondary media such as branding, closed captions and voiceovers. Unlike some “channel-in-a-box” solutions, K2 Edge playout nodes are designed to deliver the resilience, performance and scalability required by broadcasters.

The job of these nodes is to receive and playout content transferred via FTP under the control and management of the K2 TX/MAM and Cobalt playout management solution. Each K2 Edge playout node comes with 1TB of storage as standard, which can be upgraded to a total of 5TB per node. As broadcasters add new channels to their service offering, they simply add additional K2 Edge playout nodes.

The K2 Edge playout nodes deliver the reliable performance that broadcasters require to maintain their high quality of uninterrupted service.

Playout perfectionABS Broadcast builds a successful business by managing and playing out broadcast content with flexible, integrated system from Grass Valley

London-based ABS Broadcast has built a thriving business on its world-class television and play-out facilities. Known for its AB-

Solute Delivery Platform, ABS is respon-sible for the technical management and transmission services needed to keep several top television channels on the air.

From the company’s Britannia Way headquarters, Sass Jahani, a former BBC broadcast engineer and ABS CEO, has built a business on removing the day-to-day technical headaches from his clients so they can focus on the bread-and-butter part of their business, monetizing content. To accomplish that goal, Jahani set out more than 20 years ago to build a digitization and playout services busi-ness with state-of-the-art technology that would relieve broadcasters of the sizable CAPEX required to ingest and playout content.

With that goal in mind, Jahani has built one of Europe’s largest inde-pendently owned playout and TV fa-

cilities, responsible for managing and playing out media for more than 50 television channels.

Early in the history of ABS, the fa-cility approached playout with a best-of-breed philosophy. As a result, ABS brought together various technolo-gies from a host of vendors to handle its clients’ ingest, content manage-ment and playout requirements. As time passed, however, Jahani recog-nized that there needed to be a better, more elegant approach.

The solution came in the form of the Grass Valley Smart Playout Cen-ter. Leveraging Grass Valley’s K2 Edge playout nodes, K2 TX/MAM media as-set management software and Cobalt playout management software, ABS has built a comprehensive service offering it calls the ABSolute Delivery Platform to deliver a complete range of services—from content creation to simultaneous broadcast to multiple outlets.

“At the back end, we can ingest and

K2 TX/MAM content management user interface

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The K2 Summit alternative While many broadcasters find that deploying the Smart Playout Center meets their needs for greater workflow efficiency, lower OPEX and system reliability, some may feel a more traditional approach is better suited to their unique needs.

For these broadcasters, Grass Valley K2 Summit servers and storage are more appropriate. Not only does the K2 Summit provide dedicated media I/O, superior storage capacity and bandwidth for recording, playback file transfers and editing, it also has a long, successful history of integrating with different master control, automation, asset management and archive systems. Grass Valley has developed solid APIs that make this level of integration possible.

There are a variety of reasons why K2 Summit servers and storage may be a better fit for some broadcasters. One is a large investment in traditional transmission chains. Broadcasters with these investments may not be interested in making a fast changeover from their existing workflow.

Another reason could be unique station staffing circumstances in which operations depend on certain employees who are tied to existing control interfaces. Yet another reason could be the need to do a significant amount of live switching between live studio and field feeds and scheduled programming.

For these broadcasters, a K2 Summit-based solution may be a better fit. This solution also opens up the opportunity to leverage Grass Valley’s STRATUS Media Workflow Application Framework for production tools that can be used in their traditional playout chain as well as for live and news workflows.

STRATUS brings a variety of playout benefits to broadcasters who decide to maintain their traditional transmission chains, such as asset management and device control, proxy workflow support and creative software tools.

digitize any type of content from any-where and, at the front end, we can broadcast it to viewers anywhere us-ing any kind of receiving technology,” says Jahani.

To manage the assets of clients, ABS has put in place one of the largest digi-tization and media asset management infrastructures in Europe. Transmission managers rely on Grass Valley’s K2 TX/MAM to track, pack and approve assets for the playout of hundreds of thou-sands of hours of video and associated files annually. The K2 TX/MAM even al-lows ABS managers to log on from home so they can review clips, examine meta-data and inspect other content whenever necessary. “We are finding the Grass Val-ley TX [transmission] MAM to be very user friendly,” says Jahani.

For playout, ABS uses Grass Valley’s Cobalt playout management software for all on-air events. To increase overall reliability, Cobalt runs independently from the database. Mission-critical as-sets required for playout are stored on separate K2 Linux-based playout nodes, while Cobalt runs on off-the-shelf Win-dows client PCs.

By implementing these solutions, ABS has developed a streamlined play-out workflow that allows it to offer clients speedy service. “We are known for getting a channel live with a 24-hour turnaround,” says Jahani. Clients appreciate this sort of fast response as well as the ability of ABS to be flexible with its playout infrastructure so it can adapt to various individual business models, he adds.

Adopting the Grass Valley Smart Playout Center solution has delivered other benefits, as well. Because the solu-tion was designed for close-knit opera-tion from the start, there are no integra-tion headaches. What once required five separate boxes from different vendors is done with a single Grass Valley K2 playout node, says Jahani. That in turn has lowered energy costs and freed up rack space, which ABS can devote to additional K2 Edge playout nodes to drive new revenue streams. “We live in an economic climate where all playout technology is cost-sensitive and falling, so the concept of an integrated system that can do anything is very compel-ling,” says Jahani.