Pixel Power Demos Technology At CCW

Pixel Power will demonstrate how channels can be packaged, delivered and branded at the NAB Content & Communications World (CCW) event in New York next month, 11 – 12 November.

The main talking point will be StreamMaster – a new approach to integrated playout and channel branding, which is implemented entirely in software and is ready for virtualisation. It utilises the company's experience in realtime graphics and automation; and provides all the requirements of a channel playout device – including multi-level 3D graphics, squeezebacks and hot starts, and secondary events – in a software package which runs on standard IT hardware.

The software can run in a virtualised environment in a data centre, or can be hosted on dedicated hardware with video I/O cards to fit into an SDI environment. As a software package, it is more cost-effective than technology needing bespoke hardware, and opens the route to new pricing models, meaning broadcasters and playout centres could switch from a capex basis to a pay-as-you-go licence, and more closely matching the cost of technology to the income stream.

In addition, the open software basis of StreamMaster means it is readily integrated with third-party automation, asset management and workflow systems, and at CCW, Pixel Power will host a demonstration from Chyro, highlighting how its traffic and planning software can be integrated with StreamMaster to deliver a complete solution.

"Our aim with StreamMaster is to provide a simple, affordable solution for playout and branding which is appropriate for the industry today as it migrates to IP," said James Gilbert, CEO of Pixel Power. "Taking all our experience and knowledge and implementing our ideas in open, agile and extremely flexible software means we can meet the real needs of channel operators today, whether they are traditional broadcasters or new online services.

"We can licence the software however the customer wants it, so if the requirement is for a pop-up channel just for a few days for a special event, it now becomes practical to deliver that channel with the highest quality," he added. "StreamMaster is scalable, extensible and sustainable, ready for whatever developments come along, whether that is 4K, high dynamic range or something we have yet to see. This could be the last investment you ever need to make in playout technology."

www.pixelpower.com

(JP/MH)