Jefferson Pilot TV Stations Conversion to Automation
by W. Henry Boze, VP of Engineering, Jefferson Pilot
Comunications
Charlotte, NC - November 14, 2001 -When the Jefferson-Pilot
group of television stations began searching for a new master control
automation system, we knew we were in for a long process of research,
involving system reliability, functionality, affordability and the
capability to seamlessly interface within our individual stations'
existing infrastructure. Automation, as anyone who has been through
that process can attest, can be a scary transition for any station;
and we have all heard plenty of stories where the transition to
automation was anything but smooth.
Automation was first discussed as a possible solution to several
issues that two of our stations would soon be facing. WBTV, the
Charlotte, NC, CBS affiliate and WWBT, our Richmond, VA, NBC affiliate
both needed to replace their ageing Sony LMS Beta carts, which had
served them well over a long period of time. We decided to replace
what we affectionately called our analog servers with a pair of new
Sony MAV-70XGI MPEG-2 digital video servers in a mirrored
configuration. The Sony LMS had provided both broadcast operations
with many years of reliable service, so we decided to stick with their
product. In addition, the price performance of the MAV was excellent.
This was an opportune time to dive into the world of automation and to
gain experience that would lead to additional areas of manpower
efficiency.
Enter Crispin, a young innovative company located in Raleigh, NC,
specializing in broadcast automation systems. I first met Alan DeVaney
and Carlos Cela, co-founders of Crispin, at the 1999 NAB and spent a
lot of time with them. Alan, who has had extensive experience in the
broadcast automation industry, showed me a new concept that used
industry standard PCs wrapped around the widely used Windows NT
operating system. This system would seamlessly integrate into our
existing networks and traffic systems and could even be controlled
remotely. What I particularly liked was Crispin's commitment to
working directly with Jefferson-Pilot in what I felt was a direct
one-on-one partnership. Not only was I impressed with this concept,
but also with the cost -- it wouldn't break the bank! The question
was: would it work with Sony's Disc Protocol? Crispin, at this point,
had only interfaced with one other major vendor's video server, but
was up to the challenge of trying something new. They welcomed the
opportunity to work with Sony. Sony was contacted and was eager to
work directly with the Crispin team: our system integration plan was
now under way. The project moved forward, and installation of the new
Crispin automation system and Sony MAV-70XGI s took place during April
of 2001.
Crispin utilizes a series of modules wrapped around their main
playback-to-air software called "RapidPlayX 2000." This
module is responsible for on-air control of multiple output channels
with multiple play lists (up to sixteen). As an example: WWBT in
Richmond presently utilizes a four-channel system: standard air
playback; cable channel feed; DTV transmission channel; and a spare
channel for future use. If required, the system status displays can be
monitored at multiple locations throughout the plant. We find it
useful to monitor in various locations where operators can get a quick
snapshot of the automation status. This allows personnel to work in
different locations of the control room without having to stay glued
to the MCR switcher.
A module called "Dubber 2000" accomplishes ingestion and
management of digitizing ( the MAV70XGI does the digitization or
encoding) of the video and audio material that is stored in the video
servers and provides the RS-422 machine control for dubbing clips into
the MAV-70XGI. The MAV-70XGI offers high quality of MPEG-2 encoding
and reliable performance.
All of the dubs are frame accurate to mark-in and mark-out when
using tape machines. There are also provisions for naming clips,
adding comments, and trimming video and audio. Dubber can be used to
control the "commercial catch servers" directly for
recording into the MAV, eliminating additional tape machine
operations. Dubber has the ability to provide an on-screen dub list
that allows the operator to "drag and drop" a clip name from
the list into the "name" field in Dubber, eliminating the
need to type this information, thus reducing errors that the tape
operator could encounter.
The device server software, which runs from a standard Windows NT
workstation, interprets commands from the RapidPlayX 2000 module, and
then communicates with the various devices within the TV plant via
either RS-422 serial control or a LAN connection using standard IP
protocol. Each device that the system controls is contained as a
unique DLL (Dynamic Linked Library) file, which can be added or
removed as necessary through Crispin's device-server configuration
screen. It's as simple as giving each device a name and selecting the
type of device: Crispin does the rest.
The use of the various sub-systems ties the total product together
and allows for a wide range of personal taste. Every broadcast station
has different internal procedures on how the final on-air package is
delivered to air; and because the Crispin product is so configurable
in look and function, it is easy to wrap the product around the
individual station's personality.
Crispin has done their homework on redundancy and reliability and
is handled in a number of ways that ensure confidence in the system.
There are many built in safe guards against failure and Crispin
provides ways to work around them should they occur. The system is
designed so that no module relies on the Windows O/S for its
functionality. If that module were to fail it would not affect the
rest of the system: it would only have to be restarted by the
operator.
So, how does the system perform? Well, great! It has been on line
since April at both Charlotte and Richmond and works extremely well.
Our operators find the system easy to use and very intuitive. Is it
perfect? No, there are no automation systems that I have ever seen
that are. Software "bugs" are just a fact of life in our
business, but this is where the team at Crispin shines. Crispin's
customer service is excellent; and when one of these ugly little
critters pops up, you need help -- sometimes pretty quickly. They are
first and foremost broadcasters who understand our business. When a
problem is reported, they immediately try to replicate it in their lab
and then address any software code or hardware problems. Once the fix
is determined, then it is tested again in the lab to make sure that,
in fact, it is fixed. Finally it is delivered to the costumer for
implementation. They have always been available to our technicians and
work closely with them to continually improve the product. It has
truly been a one-on-one partnership.
W. Henry Boze is Vice President of Engineering/TV for
Jefferson-Pilot Communications Company and can be reached at
804-230-2769 or e-mail: hboze@jpc.com CRISPIN can be reached at
919-845-7744, or you can view their WEB site at www.crispincorp.com.
For Sony information and pricing, contact Michael J. DeBlasio, Senior
Product/ Marketing Manager, Server Technology at 408-955-4297.
Founded in 1997, Crispin Corporation is a leading provider of
reliable, cost-effective, high-performance broadcast automation
solutions. Based in Raleigh, NC, Crispin offers automation solutions
to broadcast facilities worldwide from simple operating systems to
total facility automation, including archiving and databasing. Crispin
supports a broad range of broadcast devices, including video disk
servers, VTRs, cart machines, switchers, and other devices. Crispin
provides creative and "cutting edge" automation solutions to
meet the diverse needs of multi-channel, network, and DTV environments
with flexible, reliable, affordable solutions and superior support.
Additional information about Crispin products is available at www.crispincorp.com
or call 919-845-7744.
