QTV Introduces New Functionality At NAB

QTV, a leading provider of newsroom automation and teleprompting solutions, is further expanding its range of unique prompting functionality for broadcasters at NAB 2008.
For the first time, QTV is introducing a dynamic MOS interface to its "QNet" networked scripting and prompting system, providing a unique multi-user prompting solution driven from a third-party newsroom computer system (NRCS).
This new News Interface obtains the script and rundown information from the NRCS (including dynamic updates) and stores it in the QNet database. The prompters then access the up-to-date information from the QNet database, rather than directly from the NRCS. If necessary, changes can be made to the scripts and rundowns collected from the NRCS from any of the prompters, or from non-prompt client workstations. And in the event of a complete or long-term NRCS failure, the QNet system can be used by journalists, writers and producers to create new material for the prompter, further increasing the level of overall system resilience.
This approach provides two important new features. First, this is the only prompting solution to enable multiple prompters to work from a single database, where any prompter can access any show - even working in the same rundown at the same time as another prompter. Second, this is the only solution that utilises a single connection to the NRCS - even for multiple, simultaneous prompt sessions - thus ensuring a simple configuration and a reduced load on the host.
QTV has also further enhanced the capabilities of "QBox" - the IP-based prompting solution - by enabling it for use over a mobile phone network. Broadcasters have already benefited from the revolutionary ability to connect to a QBox anywhere on their local or wide area network - providing effective prompting for remote studios, for instance - but they can now take that one step further and prompt almost anywhere in the world under control from the newsroom.
Using a standard mobile data connection (via HSDPA, 3G, UMTS, EDGE or GPRS) the remote QBox and newsroom 'QMaster' prompter communicate via a secure Virtual Private Network (VPN) host. The prompt script, which can be written directly on the QMaster PC or obtained from the host newsroom, is transferred across the VPN link to the QBox and the operator can accurately control remote scrolling using an innovative, smooth, on-screen preview. QBox has already proven its effectiveness for remote use with its unique wireless, Bluetooth and USB script transfers, but this new mobile functionality provides unprecedented flexibility for the coverage of breaking news.
QTV has been serving the broadcast industry since the mid-1950s when QTV in New York and Autocue in London supplied the very first prompters via their rental divisions. The companies merged in 1984 under Autocue Group. Clients include the BBC, Bloomberg, NBC and CNN.
QTV will be at Stand C5333 at NAB 2008 in Las Vegas.
Further information is available at: www.qtv.com.
(KMcA/JM)