PG Is Child's Play In PROVYS

The complex variety of global audiences has pushed technical innovation to a level where broadcasters are now able to cater for numerous specific requirements from audience groups such as old people and pensioners, visually challenged, hard of hearing, youngsters on the move, different language groups, viewers with various national or local moral codes, etc., etc.

Provys, an internationally active designer of software solutions for broadcasters has gathered considerable experience from the demands of its global clients who continually push the programmers to meet their ever-changing requirements. The number of functions which are required to meet these complex demands is so high that they cannot be managed manually but must be scheduled and controlled automatically. It is therefore obvious that such software must be 100% reliable. As an example, Turkish Telecom is one of the broadcasters who use and appreciate the functions of such dedicated software in the management of their TiViBu Group of channels. TiViBu have recently made the switch from traditional office software to a fully integrated PROVYS TVoffice solution and they are fully satisfied with this change.

One of the functions required worldwide is a PG (Parental Guidance) automated workflow which is designed to help programming staff to comply with local legislation or conventions with regard to suitability for audiences in terms of issues such as sex, violence, substance abuse, profanity, impudence or other types of mature content. PG ratings typically carry age recommendations in an advisory or restrictive capacity, and are often given instead of censorship. The influence of specific factors in deciding a rating varies from country to country. For example, in countries such as the U.S., films with strong sexual content are often restricted to older viewers, whereas in countries such as France and Germany, sexual content is viewed much more leniently. On the other hand, films with violent content are often subject in countries such as Germany and Finland to high ratings and even censorship.

In Turkey for example, there are strict regulations concerning what can appear on screens, particularly scenes relating to smoking, blood, violence, immoral behaviour, vulgarity, nudity, etc. Westerners could be surprised at the level of attention paid to these subjects. The technical processes required to protect viewers from these negatively perceived features are very complex but some sophisticated software solutions such as PROVYS TVoffice have the capacity to smooth out these workflows. The broadcast schedulers just need to set the corresponding PG variable for particular programmes and all necessary processes are triggered to comply with the regulations. Examples of these regulations include a precisely defined PG announcement which must appear prominently full screen at the start and as a banner displaying the recommended minimum age for viewers throughout the whole programme. Further examples are graphics for hiding prohibited picture segments such as blur and mosaic, or switching into B&W (to disguise blood). All of these preparations have traditionally demanded high levels of labour, including late nights and weekends. TVoffice allows staff to not only prepare this modified content and perfectly scheduled programmes, but as a bonus, staff can also reliably schedule their own free time. Needless to say, broadcasting staff faced with these complexities greatly appreciate the sophisticated power of TVoffice easing their way through their professional responsibilities and still creating sufficient free time to enjoy a fair amount of relaxation.

The software development and consultancy teams at Provys ensure the highest level of professional support for users of their applications and thanks to recent developments in secure networking technologies, they are able to monitor and assist users in any location remotely from their office. This means that unforeseen difficulties which may arise locally will not prevent continuity of broadcasting operations.

This article was written by Martin Junek, Marketing Director, PROVYS.

www.provys.com

This article is also available to read at BFV online here, page 26.

(JP)