ASTON UNIVERSITY ADOPT SONY VIDEOSTORE

ASTON Media are teaming up with Sony Broadcast & Professional UK to install a Videostore 2000 server-based playout system for ‘etc’ (The Education and Training Channel).
The UK’s first television learning channel, etc broadcasts courses and business features to the home or workplace.
Staffed by broadcast professionals with several decades experience of the European and North American broadcast industries, etc’s aim is to make programme content to the same standard as mainstream television programming.
The distance learning channel broadcasts open distance courses provided by colleges, university and training agencies, to business and home-based learners throughout the Midlands.
The new system plays out programme material over the local cable network direct to homes and businesses, allowing people to learn at times that suit them using broadcast television.
The material is delivered via a range of delivery platforms, videocassette, cable television or PC. Flexible scheduling means learners choose when to study. programme schedules which include small to medium exporter-targeted features such as sector and region specific business news, a one-stop advice shop, case studies, plus coverage of current industry issues and events.
Operating within Aston University in Birmingham, there will be a professional television and multi-media production, post-production and facilities centre. Aston Media produces broadcast, non-broadcast and multi-media material for a range of private and public sector clients and record lectures and courses for off campus students as well as developing video based support material for Aston University. The emphasis is on creating moving image packages suitable for viewing across all the communications technologies.
Funded by the European Union Regional Development Fund, resources are limited and craft skills play an important role in achieving a high quality finish to the programmes. Material is shot in a range of formats including Betacam SX, Betacam SP and DVCAM.
The most influential factor in etc’s decision to use Videostore is its ability to digitise material in real time whilst simultaneously playing out material. Other third party systems that etc evaluated needed to come off line in order to load extra material. (CD)