 |
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
ARGUS 200 Advanced TV Automation
The Argus 200 Advanced TV Automation System provides flexible, real-time control of video servers, graphics and video/audio switching equipment. The Argus 200 features fully-automatic or semi-automatic playlists with control of one or more video server channels, and optional control of a single-output video/audio switcher. The Argus 200 supports the ability to run multiple secondary events within a primary event, allowing logo insertion and CG control (and other functions, if required) to be scheduled and carried out automatically. CG control can be carried out by GPI Outputs or serial control. Secondary events can also be used to control other devices via GPI Outputs. The Argus 200 is supplied with the Breaking News Interrupt / Join In Progress feature which allows the operator to immediately switch away from the playlist to a predetermined switcher input, to take a breaking news feed while the playlist continues uninterrupted. The breaking news source will remain on-air until the Join In Progress GPI input is activated, causing the switcher to switch to the current event in the play list. This feature keeps the play list running on time regardless of the duration of the breaking news interruption. Synchronization to NTSC or PAL video timing is available. One Argus 200 will control one transmission channel with TV frame resolution, and automatically link playlists together from one day to the next. For users that bill their customers based on material presented, Argus provides an as-run log with billing code references for an automatic update of the user's billing file for reconciliation with contracted orders; this completes the important "closed loop" function with a minimum of effort. The event playlist is shown full screen on a grid, and may be edited directly on the screen without raising a form. Events end by default at the end of the prior event, and start/end event triggers also provide for clock time initiation or GPI input trigger from an external source (e.g. Network cue tone). There are interactive checks of the entire playlist to discover missing clip/house names, unknown source names, and timing discrepancies. Timing discrepancies exist when the sum of the event durations between two clock times does not equal the difference between the two clock times. There is also an automatic summing and display of the total duration of any block marked with the cursor by the operator. An important check is done automatically and continually in advance to assure that material in the schedule actually exists in the video server. Status fields in the display expose equipment problems and warn of such problems as loss of communication and absence of material. Editing is enhanced by use of Drag and Drop Controls, and Cut and Paste functions for event or block copies or moves. Manual control functions are available for direct control of Cue, Pause, Play and Stop. Playlists usually cover one day, and automatic linking from one day to the next assures that operators don't need to be in the facility overnight or on the weekends. The media database in most video servers is accessed, providing for an operator to insert an event ready to go to air by merely keying in the house name or clip name into the single field; duration and title are pulled from the database and inserted on the screen to provide feedback for the operator to assure that the proper clip has been selected.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Automated Frame Based Playlist Control
