NBN SHARECASTS WITH FLORICAL

NEWCASTLE

NBN has employed Florical's ShareCasting automation system. The new system originates broadcasts for six regional NBN stations and two satellite channels that are uplinked for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Asia Pacific broadcasts.
NBN is the first broadcaster to use Florical's new AirGuide automated electronic program guide that is automatically updated from the automation system to insure accuracy. The NBN system uses MediaMaster for asset management of two shared storage array video servers and a digital archive system. The Florical CueBrowser system provides frame accurate desktop browsing of MPEG-1 assets. Florical's AirBoss on-air presentation system controls play to air on all six NBN channels, the two ABC Asia Pacific broadcasts and one HDTV channel.
"The Florical ShareCasting system was chosen because of it provided a complete system from on-air automation control through to server ingest and automated EPG management," comments Steve Legge, Group Engineering and Operations Manager for NBN.
"With our unique regional origination and master/slave operations, ShareCasting was a good fit for us."
"The ShareCasting system at NBN is a centralized automation system that combines advanced technology with the proven on-air reliability of our AirBoss presentation system", says Jim Moneyhun, President of Florical Systems. "At NBN we were able to meet their strict on-air deadlines, while providing groundbreaking technology including a dynamically updated electronic program guide and state of the art desktop browsing."
The ShareCasting on-air automation at NBN features a Master/Slave control system where common programming is scheduled from a master playlist. The six NBN channels can break away from the master at any time to handle local programming and rejoin at a later time. The Master/Slave control system allows the system to produce regionalized program streams and the ability to regionalize the placement of commercial material within program material. Material workflow at NBN is now streamlined in the new system with Dub List and Purge List interfaces to the Encoda traffic system to substantially reduce data entry for broadcast content and to simplify the process used to "purge" or remove material from the Pinnnacle SANs. Dub and Purge List processing are supported on two AirBoss Editor workstations which are also used to import and/or edit all of the play to air schedules from the traffic system. The ShareCasting system controls two Pinnacle SAN (Storage Array Network) video servers, ten Philips Saturn switchers, a large ADIC archive controlled through Avalon, multiple Leitch Logomotions for program rating and channel branding, the Tandberg EIT manager for DVB-ASI electronic program guide insertion and various videotape machines using multiple tape formats. Short form material ingest into the two Pinnacle SANs is performed by four MediaFiler Ingest stations. MediaTimer is used to time and segment programs for play to air.

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