Digital Broadcasters | Pharos at IBC 2006, Amsterdam

Pharos Communications' New Products at IBC 2006, Amsterdam

Digital broadcast equipment vendor, Pharos takes the view that the efficient flow of rich media files throughout a broadcast operation is vital when material is not available on tape during the process. This is where Pharos provides solutions to electronic file-based operations:

* Automated robotic ingest, a fast ingest process enabling existing broadcast libraries to be ingested and cataloged very quickly for archive and preservation. A content-presence confidence check to ensure successful digitising can be made from the desktop (in browse resolution) or on a broadcast monitor (in high resolution).

* Management of asset components, providing the ability to upload components to an asset, such as uploading audio to a video base track. Assets can be further enhanced, for example by the addition of audio files to add further languages.

* The Mediator library can be segregated to support multiple clients, providing security and privacy without needing separate databases.

* Automated processing control. Mediator automatically controls all transfers between servers and archives. Mediator now has the ability to manage media file transcoding and file re-wrapping, ensuring content is in the desired format for delivery to playout, outgest or archive. This includes the ability to ISO-tag audio files in multi- language environments.

* A reporting framework to allow specific management reports to be generated.

* Configuration administration - Pharos Mediator provides Broadcast IT managers with the ability to add users and control the way they work, add client libraries and modify workflow requirements.

Pharos will be demonstrating at IBC 2006 its ability to deliver systems that affect operational working practice changes and management information reporting when working in client partnerships for digital broadcasters.

A reminder that Pharos Communications is based in Reading, England, Pharos Communications (http: www.pharos-comms.com).

The focus is on software architecture for broadcast process management.

Since its formation in 1997, the company has developed a wide range of systems for automating the flow of material through broadcast facilities including TV playout presentation, media asset management, archiving, and facility management.