OmniBus automation streamlines operations for first PBS ACE station

OmniBus Systems' Colossus network-based automation and content management solution went online at WMHT Educational Telecommunications on recently, as the public television station became the first PBS station to broadcast using the ACE solution.
The installation of OmniBus Colossus automation is at the heart of WMHT's new digital facility in New York State's Capital Region, and supports broadcast of four SD channels and one HD channel from ingest to playout in a seamless media flow.
ACE is designed to bring increased efficiency to participating PBS member stations across the United States by automating repetitive tasks and time-consuming manual processes, and OmniBus Colossus automation serves as the glue that binds together best-of-breed broadcast solutions in this IT-based, multicomponent broadcast model.
"The launch of WMHT on ACE marks a critical milestone in the history of public broadcasting," said OmniBus Systems Director of Customer Support and Operations Brian Chavez, who also serves as the company's coordinator for the ACE project. "By standardising operations on a solid model of IT-based broadcast solutions, PBS member stations like WMHT are able to optimise the supply chain for more efficient aggregation and distribution of content. The ACE program allows individual stations to spend less time on managing technology and more time creating the distinctive and compelling content for which PBS stations are so well known."
The OmniBus system at WMHT manages the process of ingesting material from scheduled satellite feeds, automatically tuning to the correct satellite frequency, and routing and recording material directly onto the station's Omneon Spectrum server system. Colossus interfaces with a BroadView Software traffic and scheduling system to allow users to import duration and timing information along with individual programs, and also provides the tools required for quality control. Once the playout schedule has been set, the OmniBus automation system imports a BroadView log file and, if necessary, issues a command to the facility's Masstech archive to move any required material to the on-air server.
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