Getting the News to Air More Quickly

Grass Valley Group Profile Plays Key Role in BBC Archive Pilot Project

January 31, 2001 — Reducing the time taken from requesting archived material to getting it to air by two-thirds, BBC News 24, the continuous news channel which uses Profile server technology, has completed a three-month pilot archive project with the help of an additional Profile video file server provided by the Grass Valley Group.

A key component of the pilot, the Profile system worked together with other technology elements-a media asset management system and near line robotic storage-to provide journalists with a reliable and flexible means of searching and retrieving news archive clips held online.

By first logging onto a browser on their desktops, journalists were able to carry out searches for news items, which could then be played back to the desktop in low- resolution format. This allowed them to select the exact portion of the news clip most suitable to their needs.

The corresponding broadcast-quality version of the clip was then retrieved from the robotic library before transfer to the Profile server via Fibre Channel. The Profile system then facilitated a recording onto a video tape recorder, located on the News 24 area at BBC's Television Centre, from where the item could be input directly to the studio automation system.

In many existing systems, journalists have to request material from a video library. Assuming the item is available, tapes are delivered manually to the journalist, who will need to review them to find relevant material before playing out to air.

On the BBC's pilot project, the whole process, from requesting the material to playing to air, was reduced from an average 30 minutes, to around ten. It is anticipated, with further integration with the studio automation system, that this could be cut to around five minutes. Crucially, it has also enabled journalists to search for clips themselves rather than relying on a third party to do it.

This has resulted in more decision making time for the journalists and, by extension, the opportunity to refresh the headlines more regularly.

The Grass Valley Group knows more about high-quality video than anybody else—especially as video goes digital. Interactive television. Digital cinema. Data-enhanced broadcasting. Internet. It's a world of Digicasting—of Media Without Bounds™. Whether online or on the air, the Emmy award-winning Grass Valley Group, a privately held digital media leader, has the hardware, software, and new media technologies to get content wherever it needs to go.

For the latest Grass Valley Group product information, visit www.grassvalleygroup.com.

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