Pharos Delivers Multiformat Workflow At BVE 2009

The Pharos Mediator 4 content management platform makes its UK exhibition debut at Broadcast Video Expo 2009 in London, February 17-19 (Stand L30).
Visitors to BVE will see a wider range of options to improve workflow throughout broadcast and new media services. Easy to learn and a pleasure to operate, Mediator 4 offers a consistent user experience. The pace continues at BVE 2009 with upgrades to drive productivity and make content management easier to configure and expand in daily operations.
Mediator is now in service at Ascent Media's European Media Centre and recent expansions for HBO in Singapore as well as BBC World Service have already helped to influence many new enhancements that will be on show at BVE.
Mediator 4 advanced search tools allow every user to locate and browse multiformat content at every desktop, regardless of its location. This enables a truly tapeless workflow where even complex multi-language content, including promotions and material for VOD services, are managed via Mediator.
Mediator 4 reduces costs by integrating multi-channel playout using the Playtime option. Playtime enables rapid expansion and fully featured channels can be added and set up remotely. Even complex multi-language channels can be launched in hours, not days.
Playout and publishing operations can be distributed as never before using the Playtime browser based playout user interface. Playout can now be managed flexibly from the most cost-effective location. Content can be prepared for VOD alongside conventional television playout services. Mediator 4 manages the preparation and transcoding of multi-format VOD content.
Mediator 4's remote web browser based user interface allows operations to be distributed to the most appropriate location. From ingest, QC and compliance, right through to approvals, playout and publishing, Mediator enables creativity and productivity anywhere using standard PC or Mac workstations.
Improvements to Mediator's remote browse capabilities allow direct streaming of browse material for SD, HD and VOD services to third party post production, subtitling and graphics houses. This allows Mediator 4 to drive the workflow in transmission order for the most complicated content and promotions.
Improved ingest workflows; easier metadata entry speeds up the processing of multiformat content from tape or file. Promotions, subtitles and commercials produced remotely by third party facilities and can also be uploaded centrally by Mediator 4 as part of the workflow.
Management Reports and Dashboards increase business efficiency by providing visibility of the system's loading and performance to give an optimum ROI from the broadcast infrastructure. Every action in Mediator 4 is tracked in real time against business priorities such as the schedule or service level agreement.
The latest enhancements to Pharos Pilot will also be on show. Flexible desktop control for the widest range of third party hardware. More than 400 different devices from over 50 leading third-party vendors can be controlled from a convenient centralised system, removing the cost and complexity of multiple hardware panels for each user.
Pharos will be represented at BVE 2009 by Alan Hoggarth, Paul Scott, Chris Brannan, Steve Robinson and Alex Wilton.
Further information is available at: www.pharos.tv.
(KMcA/JM)