Abit To Demonstrate New Integration of DVE Effects at IBC

Playout automation specialist, Abit Ltd, have announced plans to demonstrate the next generation of integrated DVE workflow functionality, at this year’s IBC in addition to revealing the latest version of its Present-it hardware platform at the show on stand 8.529.
"Leading European broadcasters, rely on automation systems to provide adaptable workflow control and monitoring,” said Richard Thomas, Software Development Director, Abit. “By recognising the importance of updated business patterns and changes in departmental interaction and workflow our systems can ensure that these key elements are accommodated flexibly.”
The integration of DVE functionality that will be at IBC adopts this flexible approach.
“It represents the next generation of software functionality while maintaining the key elements of broadcast automation such as frame accuracy, minimisation of operational activity and quality playout essential to the every day working of major broadcast facilities,” confirmed Thomas.
By providing a complex DVE control algorithm, network management of a file based DVE storage system and flexible operational functions, the Abit system enables the operator to configure branding specific to the viewing demographics on a channel basis easily. In addition, it enables a flexible advertising strategy up to the point of transmission and the display/routing of multiple sources.
The software now allows the operator to create DVE effects within a QOS framework and span them across any number of fixed and live events in addition to incorporating multiple sources. The DVE effect span duration is dynamically controlled to ensure changes to the scheduled commercials and vignettes appear transparent from a viewer’s perspective in a multi-channel environment.
A further development that will be shown at IBC for the first time is the facility for commercial placement during a live broadcast. This allows the operator to cut back to either the original live event or a new live event as quickly and smoothly as possible at the end of the current advertising clip. The channel branding is maintained so that the change appears transparent to the audience. The channel licence regulations are adhered to and the remaining commercial clips are automatically queued for playout at a convenient point later in the live transmission maintaining revenue.
In addition to the new DVE integration and commercial placement technology, Abit will be demonstrating the new version of its automation platform: Present-it. “Present-it has been redesigned to provide easier scalability, future proofing of the processor architecture and smaller physical size while the system still retains the use of industrial processor cards based on VME bus architecture and uses the industry proven OS-9 operating system providing multi channel operation in one box reducing installation time and easing support/maintenance costs,” said Thomas.
“To achieve the greatest operational efficiency, broadcasters need flexible and adaptable systems to control their playout environments. The developments we will be demonstrating at IBC represent the very latest thinking in this area,” he concluded.
(SP)