Network production from Sony

Upon materials of Sony Company

Review contents:

Network solutions in TV production Network solutions of company Avid for broadcasting and video production Automation of broadcasting: DIP solutions Networking for live television production Solutions of the JC System Integration Company VSN — all in one Network disk arrays of company Maxtronic Network file-based broadcasting with On-Air Central Video server The tvSuite as the output module of system for organization of the off-the-air broadcasting built with application of network technologies Network solutions for program-making on the basis of Pinnacle Liquid systems Network production from Sony Network solutions Vectorbox

Besides known and more than widely widespread equipment — cameras, devices for recording/playback, mixers etc. — Sony is placed high emphasis on modernization of the whole technological process of TV program creation.

In the beginning of 2004 the company has presented the new system of news production on the basis of server technology — Sonaps. This system equally well approaches both for the large broadcasting companies and for small regional news bureaus. Sonaps allows essentially lowering the time expense for preparation of news scenes to translation in the air. Besides the system is modular, so, it is expanded and updated. After start with a base configuration, the user in some steps may bring it up to the complex network infrastructure, allowing resolving very complicated problems.

Sonaps covers all stages of news production, from shooting to distribution of material in the air and archiving. Without any problem the system allows to administer the material accompanied with advanced metadata. Operation is built on the base of open standards: MXF (Material eXchange Format), MOS (Media Object Server) and UMID (Unique Material Identifier). It provides processing of metadata and compatibility with systems of the third manufacturers. Certainly, the system is completely integrated with the Sony XDCAM equipment of the last generation. Moreover, the maximal efficiency of Sonaps is achieved in this combination in particular.

Use of Professional Disc as the basic media during shooting allows to increase the efficiency of the whole system essentially as it eliminate the necessity to digitize a material — immediately after shooting the media data exist as files and may be used for preparation of scenes, moving over network etc. Simultaneously with original material the personnel receives the low resolution copies and metadata so the journalist, director, editor, and other specialists may operate with the project simultaneously.

Already clearly, that the whole process is based on tapeless technology, moreover, with prospect of transition to operation in high resolution format, since Sonaps is integrated with last system of digital nonlinear editing XPRI which is provided with advanced network opportunities.

Sonaps is based on the experience of creation and operation of system of high level NewsBase, in combination with modern technologies on the basis of file server networks.

The platform of Sonaps is standard hardware and software.

The technological process includes the following five elements:

• Shooting;
• Ingest;
• Viewing and editing;
• Playback and delivery;
• Control.

Shooting

Combination of Sonaps and Sony XDCAM equipment allows to improve the technological process due to an opportunity of rough-cut editing and automatic creation of metadata directly on the shooting site. Mobile system XPRI installed on the notebook allows to edit the material in low resolution (proxy-copy) on the basis of that the edit decision list (EDL) is created. According to EDL the editing of the material transferred in studio is carried out, that the operation is considerably accelerated.

Ingest

All accessible recorded resources are visible on one screen, and any specialist having the appropriate rights of access can easily manipulate by them. The user may record the material manually from the cartridge or an external line or create the schedule for automatic recording. Metadata and content can be added directly during recording. During ingest of material from professional disk to the system the video of high and low resolution, the audio and metadata, including EDLs, are transferred.

Viewing and editing

Due to copies of low resolution the rough-cut editing can be started directly on a shooting site, and also during ingest of material. It also enables to everyone who is connected to the system over network to see the implementation of the current tasks, to view the material and to supply the most suitable tools for the solution of own problems. The family of XPRI stations provides a full set of editing means, and versions of these systems may operate both on notebooks and on powerful platforms where realization of 3D effects and using of high resolution material is possible.

Playback and delivery

Most frequently the delivery is meant as playback in the air according to the off-the-air schedule. Besides the content can be published in the Internet, moved between systems and regions, be archived. And all this is the delivery demanding maximal efficiency. There are the most important elements are metadata and safety of the information. Under integration in computer system of the complex of news preparation Sonaps may receive off-the-air schedules directly and be switched in a hand-held or automatic mode, receiving control signals from system of broadcasting automation. The information on the status of system is constantly updated and displayed on the broadcast terminal.

Control

The specialized workstations for material control are used, which are provided a centralization of this process. All materials available in the system, can be sorted, catalogued, deleted or prepared to archiving, distribution or editing.

It is desirable to accent the attention to one more network solution which is named as DVLince. The system has a full set of means for content creation — from broadcast news system up to corporate TV. It is addressed to broadcasting companies, educational institutions, corporations etc. By means of DVLince it is possible to create the educational programs, corporate films, local information and news programs quickly and effectively. The system is the completed integrated solution for planning, production and distribution of audiovisual content. The system is modular, flexible and scaled.

DVLince provides joint access to the total material. It can be viewed and requested from the built-in system of archiving. The system is based on philosophy “Create once and reuse often”.

DVLince assembled on the basis of standard network infrastructure with hardware and software “from a shelf”, may operate as independently, and in combination with already existing infrastructure.

It is also important that the uniform file format is used over all technological chain, without decoding, code conversion and recompression. It means that original quality of the material is not become worse. Furthemore, the operation with the unitized data is much easier.

There is one more system — DVStation, but about it the readers of “625” magazine might read in the review of magazine N 7/2004.

Material provided by Sony Representation on the professional
and broadcast equipment in the CIS