NAB Show 2023 Recap

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Our team had a great time at NAB2023!

This year, our team headed back to the NAB Show in Las Vegas to meet with customers, resellers, and partners to showcase our new line of ASR products as well as the new features recently added to OASYS Integrated Playout.

If you weren’t able to attend the event this year, here’s a quick recap of what our team demo’d on the showroom floor:

WincapsASR: WincapsASR is a file-based, on-premise captioning software that uses ASR technology to easily convert audio to text. When partnered with a professional caption editing software such as WincapsQ4, Wincaps can help broadcasters improve productivity by over 30%. Professional captioners no longer take on the role of both caption creation and editing. With WincapsASR, the ASR technology handles the caption creation so that humans edit and monitor for quality control. Features such as intelligent caption segmentation, custom dictionaries, and substitution lists also help to make the editing workflow easier. Media files stay on-premise or in a private cloud for full file security.

Q-LiveASR: Our newest, hybrid live captioning software seeks to take the pressure off of live captioners and make creating captions for live/news programming simpler and quicker. Q-LiveASR combines ASR technology with professional editing software in a system that can be easily installed on-premise or through a private cloud. Files are kept secure and users control ASR activation and selection. ASR takes the main active input while subtitlers take a break, buffer ASR to allow for quick corrections, and override ASR via manual or apology captioning if needed.

VoCaption Live: Our fully automated live captioning software, VoCaption, has been updated and improved to better support live captioning. With VoCaption, broadcasters can easily convert program audio to text with just the click of a button. Custom vocabulary tools, alternate word lists, and profanity filters help to improve accuracy. There are no scheduling issues and no need to pay for a full hour of labor when only a few minutes of captioning are needed.

Polistream: Polistream is known globally for being the most flexible captioning and subtitling encoder and transmission system on the market. By utilizing an array of software modules and internal cards we are able to create a subtitle transmission system that meets users exact requirements now and into the future. Our team is constantly updating the Polistream hardware and software to meet our customer’s changing needs.

OASYS Integrated Playout: Our new OASYS end-to-end compressed IP playout software was an important focus this year. Our team showed broadcasters around the world how OASYS can easily integrate into their system to help them run their channels more efficiently. With compressed end-to-end IP broadcasters can ensure that their station is set up to run smoothly into the future as their station and technology grows.

SubCaptioner Online Portal: SubCaptioner is an online transcription service that converts audio to text, automatically, for only $0.25/minute. At this price, users receive a TXT, WebVTT and a SRT file! Files are converted in just minutes by our innovative ASR technology that takes the manual labor out of creating transcriptions and captions. Create an account on subcaptioner.com to get started. Once you’ve uploaded your first media file, use the code NAB2023 to receive 50% off at checkout.

If you’re interested in scheduling an online demo with our team, visit our contact page.

OASYS Integrated Playout Adds New Features to User Experience

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OASYS Integrated Playout

OASYS Integrated Playout, one of our flagship solutions, provides broadcasters of all sizes with scalable playout that delivers maximum flexibility to match your workflow environment and is available in SDI, full IP and Hybrid to match your operational requirements. In 2022, the OASYS software team has delivered multiple new versions on a regular cadence with each version including new features to enhance your user experience. Here’s a recap of just a few:

Media Library, HUB, Logger

  • OASYS Media Library now supports Kill Dates for media contributed to the system.
  • OASYS HUB now supports the Ross Video Ultrix video routers.
  • Logger has been upgraded from an application to a service with auto-restart, so the app icon no longer needs to be in the desktop icon tray as it now runs in the background as a service.
  • We now support sending configurable email notifications via Media Library.

Global Media Library, Sender, Graphics Sequence Editor and MultiChannel Web Client

  • Global Media Library supports purging from an XLS spreadsheet.
  • Cue sheets can be converted to side car files to eliminate extra input work.
  • Sender and Sender buttons have been added to MultiChannel Web Client and behaves the same as the stand-alone application.
  • We’ve added Split Commercial and Promo counters to MultiChannel Web Client as well.
  • The OASYS Graphics Sequence Editor now enables masking animation graphics in frame preview. The color used for masking objects or animations is white.

OASYS Player

  • Continue to enhancements for IP support for OAYS Player for input and output streams.
  • Audio normalization is supported with audio streams. Licensing fees apply.
  • Added support for audio normalization per EBU R 128 and BS1770, which helps eliminate the need for some downstream equipment.
  • Added enhanced downscaling capabilities for more file formats and to reduce load on CPU.
  • We continue to expand the number of SCTE trigger elements we support in OASYS and now support splicing for immediate and non-immediate mode in the IP stream output.

OASYS Integrated Playout is part of a suite of Automation solutions for Broadcasters that includes VoCaption, our automated live captioning solutions that uses ASR, Automated Speech Response, to deliver hightly accurated captions and subtitles in real time that achieves accuracy levels in line with human captioners at a fraction of the cost and streamlines your workflow.

For additonal information or to request a budgetary quotation please contact our Sales Team here.

How Broadcasters Can Find Peace of Mind

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We’ve been helping Bob, and many other broadcasters around the world, to find peace of mind in their playout systems. Bob had a similar problem to many other broadcasters: he was constantly stressed about how he could do more with fewer operators, constantly concerned that his playout and captioning solutions would crash from on-going problems, and constantly worried that major problems in their broadcasts would cost them thousands of dollars in commercial revenue.

To bring Bob peace of mind, we provided him with a fully integrated solution by a single vendor. This eliminated one of his major problems of having to work with multiple vendors and support contracts. Our integrated solution, OASYS Integrated Playout, also replaced his old, purpose-built hardware systems with software to manage the same functions.

This same OASYS Integrated Playout Solution is used by call letter stations, PBS stations, cable channels, and other content and service providers around the world to deliver solutions and reliability. With OASYS, broadcasters can manage their system remotely with fewer staff and feel sure that if a problem occurs, the playout system will take over and switch the back-up on-air so no programming or commercials are missed.

Engineers, like Bob, are very happy with OASYS because its a game-changer for their operation:

  • OASYS reduces the amount of hardware needed
  • Removes most purpose-built devices
  • Can be managed remotely
  • Adds multiple redundancy and back-up options so that any point of failure has a way to recover and continue operation, many times without human intervention.

Bob and his team are no longer held hostage by expensive, hard to maintain, proprietary boxes. Their operations thrive using standard IT hardware that is more cost-effective and reliable running our integrated software. It delivers on their operational needs, grows with them and is easily upgraded. Peace of mind, delivered in a timely, professional manner.

Learn More about our OASYS Integrated Playout System here, or contact our team directly.

Why Do Our Customers Recommend OASYS Integrated Playout?

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Why do our customers recommend OASYS Integrated Playout?

There are several reasons our customers love us and here’s what they say:

1. OASYS has given their station engineers peace-of-mind in a software solution that’s reliable and efficient.

2. OASYS combines multiple processes into one, meaning broadcasters save themselves the headaches of working with various vendors and support contracts. Everything works together seamlessly in an efficient process that removes unnecessary third-parties.

3. Our support team has a reputation for being available around-the-clock to help clients make changes and fix problems immediately. A great support team behind the software helps our customers feel confident that someone has their back.

4. The software is flexible. As your station grows and your needs change, OASYS can be easily reconfigured or expanded to meet your new requirements. Need to add a channel? No problem. Want to step up your graphics game? OASYS’ Graphics package can assist with dynamically updated graphics for news, sports, weather or other situations. Need to begin providing live closed captioning that fits your workflow and costs less than human captioners with similar accuracy?

Don’t just take our word for it. Read our customer’s testimonies to see why our customers recommend OASYS Integrated Playout as well.

Interested in learning more about OASYS integrated playout system? Contact Us!

 

Have you evaluated your Master Control operations recently?

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Have you evaluated your Master Control operations recently?

What’s going on…

  • more problems than you need;
  • can’t trust the system to be reliable; system aging out;
  • need to find more efficient workflows or make it work with fewer people?

You, more than anyone else, knows how important it is to trust your Master Control software and systems. If they fail, you miss programs and commercials or go off air completely. And if you experience any on-air issues you hear it from viewers and advertisers.

So, are you feeling at peace with your Master Control system, or stressed out? Let’s evaluate:

  • During the week, do you and your team spend too many hours dealing with third-party vendor support or trouble-shooting problems?
  • Can you leave Master Control un-manned or running over night, or days at a time, and be confident your phone won’t ring with new problems?
  • Do you feel confident that your live-captions will work for your next live broadcast?
  • During the holiday season, does your stress increase due to lower staffing levels or slower response times from 3rd party vendor support?
  • Do you have a redundant back-up solution that can take-over automatically when the system detects any problems?
  • Many chief engineers will probably say no. Their systems are overly complex, require more man-power than you can budget and are woefully out of date. They worry about the impact on viewers and staff should the system crater, which it will, when you least expect it.

You are not alone. We commonly hear that Master Control is out-of-date, it causes too many problems; program prep workflows are slow and too much time is spent with multiple support vendors that point fingers or don’t seem to care if your issue is solved today or next week.

Did we just describe your situation? Then maybe it’s time for a change.

If your Master Control system doesn’t bring you and your team joy and peace-of-mind, then you need to learn more about OASYS Integrated Playout. OASYS delivers confidence and peace of mind by using standard IT hardware and fully integrated software that:

  • Reduces your overall dependence on specific boxes because software replaces the need for purpose-built hardware.
  • Reduces the number of support contracts you need to maintain.
  • Reduces your overall foot-print requirement and saves money on utilities.
  • Future-proofs your path forward because the software is easier to upgrade than hardware and saves money in the long-run.

So, if your current system isn’t flexible, doesn’t automate your workflows, doesn’t eliminate your need for purpose-built devices and multiple vendors, then you need OASYS.

Learn more about OASYS Integrated Playout here. 

How VoCaption Cut WVIA’s Live Program Workflow from Aggravation to a Single Mouse Click

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WVIA, a PBS station operating 3 channels in Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Central Susquehanna Valley, has been using BroadStream’s OASYS Integrated Playout solution and recently added VoCaption, our Automated Speech Recognition solution for live, automated captioning.

Joe Glynn and his staff at WVIA have been providing live captions on a limited basis, but getting live captions on-air took too many steps and had multiple points of failure which increased both stress and anxiety levels beyond what the team needed.

The workflow necessary to launch live captioning each week included having someone call the captioning company to schedule the captioner, provide all the details including date and time of the show, length of the broadcast and arrange for testing prior to the show airing.

On the day of the show an engineer needed to be available at least 15 minutes before the show’s scheduled start to connect the call to the audio bridge and test the outbound audio, which often took a back-seat to microphone checks from the studio. The captioner was required to call-in prior to air to confirm they were available, which didn’t always happen, and connect to the caption encoder so the station could verify that captions would actually appear. If there were issues, those had to be resolved quickly. If the captioner was late, it made things much more difficult and stressful and on several occasions shows aired without captions. WVIA felt the live captioning process was too complicated with too many steps and points of failure and felt there must be a better solution.

Looking to resolve the issues associated with live captioning Joe decided to look at VoCaption to see if automation would help smooth things out. Accuracy was, of course, a concern, but if VoCaption was anywhere close to their current accuracy level it would be worth it to make the switch.

The installation and commissioning hit a few bumps along the way but they were resolved and after a few tests WVIA formally selected BroadStream’s VoCaption, Automated Live Caption Solution.

Joe Glynn, Chief Technology Officer at WVIA commented, “All of the problems and multiple extra steps necessary to put closed captions on-air for a live show were reduced to one single mouse click with VoCaption.” Glynn continued, “While VoCaption did offer us some cost savings, by far the biggest benefit was we now had full control of the process and no longer depended on an outside, 3rd party provider. This change reduced a previously frustrating and complex workflow to a single mouse click.”

With VoCaption, WVIA is saving time, reducing frustration, and improving their workflow by fully controlling their entire live captioning process. Follow Joe Glynn’s lead and install VoCaption to reduce your live captioning frustrations and simplify the process to a single mouse click.

For more information please visit our website to learn more about VoCaption or our Contact Us page to arrange a call or demo.

 

The Importance of Workflow in Broadcast Media

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In the broadcast world the process necessary to take a program and broadcast it to viewers can be quite complicated. Lots of things can go wrong.

Video tape is no longer used and has been replaced by digital video which, in the beginning made things more complicated for broadcasters. Things like video file format, audio, captioning, graphics, scheduling commercial breaks as well as the programs must go smoothly to create a full day of programing and and get it ready to broadcast. Now multiply this process over 24 hours per day and 168 hours per week and the workload can be staggering.

To maintain quality, TV stations use specific routines and processes, called workflows, managed by highly qualified technical staff, to ensure the correct programs air at their scheduled time.

Each workflow can have multiple steps and go though multiple forms of processing or editing to become broadcast-ready.

To make the overall process as efficient as possible, TV stations are constantly looking for ways to improve their workflows, and that means reducing the complexity and number of steps required down to the fewest number of steps possible. With so many different steps and potential friction points, the work can be stressful and anxiety producing. If the workflow isn’t simplified, clearly outlined, and properly managed, many broadcasters can find it difficult to do their job to the best of their abilities.

That’s why the workflow is important. A well constructed workflow can improve efficiency and productivity while improving quality and at the same time helping to create a more stress-free environment.

Let’s use WVIA as an example.

Joe Glynn and his staff at WVIA provided live captioning to their viewers. The amount of live captioning the station needed each week was limited but the work associated with getting live captions on-air was not. The station was using human-generated live captions through an outside vendor.

Their workflow to produce the live captions was inefficient. It involved working with an outside company that provided captioners for live shows. This meant that every week, someone from the station needed to call the captioning company, schedule the captioner, provide all the details for the show, and arrange for testing prior to the show airing.

Before the show began, an engineer or operator was required to connect the call to the audio bridge and test the outbound audio. The captioner was required to call in and confirm they were present before the show began, which didn’t always happen. If the captioner did call in to confirm their presence, then the station had to connect to the captioning encoder to ensure that captions would actually show up on the screen.

After all the planning the station often ran into multiple issues that needed to be addressed at the last minute. No pressure right?

They often weren’t able to perform a necessary audio test with the captioner before the show because they had to do microphone checks for the show. Or if the caption encoder wouldn’t connect before the show a second engineer was necessary to fix the issue to while another engineer continued to get the system ready for the live broadcast.

This workflow was full of stress, constant problems, and little efficiency. Not only that, but the workflow of adding live captions actually hindered their quality and success in other areas of the broadcast.

That’s why workflow is so important – a good workflow improves quality and success while also ensuring that no other workflows are hindered in the process.

To find a solution and eliminate the workflow issues surrounding live closed captioning, Joe reached out to our team at BroadStream to see how we could help. We recommended VoCaption to provide an Automated Live Captioning Solution and helped his team with the installation and training. Once in place, their workflow problems were eliminated.

Today, with one simple mouse click, live captions are triggered and on-screen. No planning, no worry. Hours of work were reduced to that one mouse click. Simple, easy and at a cost savings as well.

The team now has more control. They no longer rely on a third-party for their live captioning because a complicated workflow was eliminated by new and proven technology.

If you want to know more or see a demo, reach out to us on our Contact page.

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WVIA Praises Workflow Improvements with VoCaption Automated Live Captioning

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Duluth, GA, USA – November 08, 2021: PBS station WVIA in Pittston, PA went live recently with BroadStream’s VoCaption Automated Live Captioning Solution.

WVIA operates 3 channels using BroadStream’s OASYS Integrated Playout solution and serves Northeastern Pennsylvania and the Central Susquehanna Valley area. Broadcasting since 1966, WVIA has a long history of service to the community and surrounding area with local programming, educational programming, outreach and services.

In the broadcast world, workflows matter. If there are too many extra steps, friction or points of failure, both stress and anxiety levels ratchet up beyond the normal levels broadcasters face daily. This was especially true for Joe Glynn and his staff at WVIA when live captioning was needed. The amount of live captioning the station needed each week was limited but the work associated with getting live captions on-air was not.

The workflow necessary to launch live captioning each week included having someone call the captioning company to schedule the captioner, provide all the details including date and time of the show, length of the broadcast and arrange for testing prior to the show airing.

An engineer needed to be available at least 15 minutes before the show’s scheduled start to connect the call to the audio bridge and test the outbound audio, which often took a back-seat to microphone checks from the studio. The captioner was required to call-in prior to air to confirm they were available, which didn’t always happen, and connect to the caption encoder so the station could verify that captions would actually appear. If there were issues, those had to be resolved quickly. If the captioner was late it made things much more difficult and stressful and on several occasions shows aired without captions. WVIA viewed the live captioning process as too complicated with too many steps and points of failure and felt there must be a better solution.

To smooth out the workflows and problems associated with live captioning, WVIA selected BroadStream’s VoCaption, Automated Live Caption Solution. Joe Glynn, Chief Technology Officer at WVIA commented, “All of the problems and multiple extra steps necessary to put closed captions on-air for a live show were reduced to one single mouse click with VoCaption.” Glynn continued, “While VoCaption did offer us some cost savings, by far the biggest benefit was we now had full control of the process and no longer depended on an outside, 3rd party provider. This change reduced a previously frustrating and complex workflow to a single mouse click.”

Follow Joe Glynn’s lead. Use VoCaption to reduce your live captioning frustrations from a process that involves multiple steps and people to a single mouse click.  WVIA is saving time and reduced their frustration and anxiety while making things much easier for everyone because they fully control the entire live captioning process.

For more information please visit our website https://broadstream.com/vocaption-live/ to learn more about VoCaption or our Contact Us https://broadstream.com/contact-us page to arrange a call or demo.

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About WVIA

WVIA Public Media is a catalyst, convener and educator, using media, partnerships, powerful ideas and programs to improve lives and advance the best attributes of an enlightened society. Learn more, wvia.org.
 

About BroadStream Solutions

BroadStream Solutions (www.broadstream.com) acquired Screen Subtitling Systems in 2018 and specializes in the playout of linear television channels, Live Automated Captioning, automated File-based captioning and Subtitling tools for broadcasters, networks, cable, and satellite operations, as well as non-broadcast applications, around the globe. Our expertise in broadcast is focused on developing solutions that are software-based and consistently deliver flexibility, dependability, improved workflows, operational efficiency and reliability for our clients and customers.