Snell… Of Interest To SatBroadcasting™ Professionals…

[SatNews] Snell has launched a new suite of enterprise automation and content delivery solutions…

These solutions are based on the Company’s award-winning Morpheus automation and Integrated Content Engine (ICE) playout technology. Targeted to major media and broadcast companies with multi-site and multi-channel playout operations, the family of enterprise content delivery solutions address key challenges for central casting, multi-regional broadcasting, business continuity, and sports broadcasting. Snell‘s content delivery solution for central casting provides a stable platform for launching new digital services that rely on playout models distributed across multiple sites and geographical regions. The solution is designed to increase efficiencies and reduce operational costs and equipment duplication, with a high degree of resilience resulting from fewer points for potential equipment failure. In a typical configuration, a central hub provides the bulk of content ingest and storage for multiple regional stations, as well as on-air playlist management and remote monitoring of broadcast signals. In addition, Snell is offering a centralized multi-region broadcasting solution that enables a primary location to distribute common programming to regional channels, with variations in commercial, promotional, and graphical insertions. With this solution, broadcasters can build advertising revenues from commercials programmed for specific markets and preserve the regional character of content that appeals to local viewers. Additionally, regional channels are not restricted to commercial and graphical insertion, but instead have the option of playing out alternate programming on different broadcast platforms, where rights issues prevent transmission of certain material, such as “black-outs” of sports events.

To help broadcasters minimize the risk of technical failures that can affect on-air operations, Snell’s enterprise-scale automation solution for business continuity provides cost-effective backup operations with full functionality between both primary and remote sites. The system stores content as a mirrored output of the main broadcast signal. If a system failure occurs, a seamless transition can be made to ensure continued operation and complete transparency to the home viewer. With Snell’s automation solution for sports broadcasting, the on-air playlist can be updated “on the fly,” and all manual changes are captured in as-run logs for reconciliation and billing services. Complex procedures can be stored and accessed by pressing a single button — saving time, reducing operator error, and removing requirements for custom code generation. Also with a single button press, operators can access a commercial hot list to manipulate commercial inventory at a moment’s notice. Broadcast sales groups can maximize on-air avails right down to the last minute, enabling rapid changes to commercials or an entire ad break on a single- or multi-region basis.