Video Breakthroughs

Back when you could count the number of broadcast TV stations in your market on one hand, broadcast studios were generally satisfied with manual quality-control (QC) spot-checking methods, looking mainly for ill-timed videotape dropouts. Today, the quantity and quality of content files for the multichannel digital television universe is exploding, while the number of people handling and critically verifying quality before streaming or airing is shrinking. Some content arrives at stations wrapped in various digital file formats that may contain their own invisible problems. More channels with fewer critical eyes prowling for problems before airing increases the risk of real viewer complaints. Is there a sensible solution other than adding staff?

The most reliable, efficient and economical digital QC solution is stand-alone automated QC. Broadcast automation, including automated QC processes, saves time and resources and always devotes its undivided attention to its assigned tasks. Properly administered automated QC will get 95 percent of necessary QC work done in an automated file-based environment. The remaining 5 percent will continue to rely on humans because there are some types of artistic expression in the video and audio that an automated system may misinterpret as a problem. When humans QC, they verify audio content (language, for example) and audio quality, watch for video artifacts and make the pass-or-fail call. What humans inspecting programs can’t see is the aggregation of ancillary digital data required that make the viewer-consumable essence of the file into valid digital media file.

AmberFin, a leading developer of file-based media ingest and transcoding solutions for content owners, broadcasters, sports organizations and post-production houses, will unveil the latest version of its Unified Quality Control solution for content ingest and transcoding operations. Called iCR Unified QC (UQC), this unique approach to media quality control combines multiple tools for baseband checks during tape ingest, file-based QC after ingest, and overall operator-controlled QC, including annotation and mark-up.

At NAB, AmberFin will showcase development work intended to increase the number of third-party QC systems including vendors such as VidCheck (VidChecker), Tektronix (Ceriphy) and Metaglue (MXFixer). The provision of wider choice enables users to integrate UQC seamlessly within their existing workflows more easily. Also, the option of integrating multiple third-party systems within UQC empowers the user to compare and contrast measurements from the different systems, increasing overall confidence in the quality of their media files.

Volicon has released the biggest update yet to its Observer Enterprise video content logging and monitoring system, writes David Fox.

Version 6.0 simplifies critical processes with new loudness-monitoring capabilities, closed-caption support, and transport-stream monitoring and export, and is claimed to also serve as a convenient and versatile platform for additional monitoring applications.

The Observer range captures, stores, and indexes broadcast content from multiple channels, offering users simultaneous 24/7 access to video from their desktop. Configurable alarms monitor video quality and provide early detection of audio and video issues across hundreds of HD channels, facilitating rapid resolution and minimizing downtime. The system also allows broadcasters to manage and compare content assets across multiple channels in a unified interface from any internet connection.