Snell's Morpheus Broadcast Automation Brings Content Management to Program Playout on JSTV 2

July 29, 2009

Source: Snell

Integrated Automation and Master Control Systems From Snell Streamline Delivery of New Channel From Japan Satellite Television

Snell announced Japan Satellite Television (JSTV) has extended its use of Morpheus broadcast automation technology to ensure reliable, rapid access to program content for its new prime-time broadcasts on JSTV 2. As JSTV expands its broadcast offering onto JSTV 2, Snell's Morpheus system streamlines the management and transfer of content for playout.

"After a successful trial of programming on JSTV 2, it became clear that if the service were to become permanent, we would need to establish a fault-tolerant solution for random access to archive content," said Steve Palmer, broadcast operations manager at Trifield, the London-based multimedia solutions company that oversees JSTV technical operations.

"Morpheus had already proven to be an ideal solution for JSTV 1, and it offered a smart solution for JSTV 2, eliminating the need for complex custom interfaces or expensive middleware to utilize archived program content. The products provided to JSTV operations by Snell have been integrated seamlessly together to create a highly efficient and accurate program delivery system."

With the introduction of permanent prime-time programming on JSTV 2, the Japanese-language broadcaster is able to bring more variety to its audience. Serving as the primary automation system for both JSTV 1 and JSTV 2 playout, Morpheus gives operators a clear view of system status, including the health of devices under its control and the location and movement of content to be delivered — complete with frame-accurate time data.

Morpheus also manages and transfers content from the moment a playlist is loaded, automatically transferring material from the archive server and purging expired content from the playout server, as required. If a program is missing on the archive server, Morpheus will automatically obtain it from the backup tape system instead — without any need for operator intervention.

The integration was completed with the addition of Snell's TX 500 Series master control switcher, Morpheus HUD (head-up display), PSP (programmable script panel), and IQLOGO1 logo inserter. The solution also incorporates an ExaStore® Clustered NAS archive server supplied by IT and storage specialists Eurotech.

"The range of technical innovations from Snell gives modern broadcasters access to greater accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility than ever before," added Palmer.

"Snell's master control switcher offers an unparalleled level of integrated automation, taking care of routine events and freeing our operators to concentrate on other important tasks. Meanwhile, use of HUDs on both channels makes it easy to spot any potential problems with upcoming events and rectify them before they become critical. For those tricky last-minute manual interventions, we use the new PSPs from Snell to inject complex preprogrammed operational sequences into Morpheus at the touch of a button. Because Morpheus remains in control, a full audit trail is detailed in the as-run logs. Morpheus automation assists operators and management even in the most difficult and stressful situations — exactly the times when other systems come up short."

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