The "Videoarchive" from the JS Systems Integration
By Victor Shpil

The JS System Integration firm has a wide experience in the introduction of the digital technologies into the process of video production and broadcasting. The automating of works connected with the introduction of the video archives becomes an extremely important issue for the developing TV companies. Each one of them solves that problem in different ways. Lots of them use the table editors like Microsoft Excel during the operation with the video archives. But that is appropriate only in the case when one person is working with the video archives. If there appears more users such a way doesn't fit. Besides if the volumes of information are large it is highly important to have an opportunity not only to search by the key words, but also to view at least in the draft quality the video material stored on the cassettes. For a long time the main problem at the realization of the systems with the operative access to the video material was a high cost of the disc arrays. At the moment the cost of the disc array of 1000 hours of video materials of VHS quality that maintains the 'hot' change of the broken disc without the loss of information approaches $10 000. The mastering of the TV company employees of the computer technologies, the following decrease of a price on the disc arrays, all that makes the switch to the digital technologies of registration and search of the video materials located in the video archives unavoidable.

It is the fourth years that the JS System Integration Company is working on the solution of the task of automating of the video archives. The company launched the first system in 1999. The archive VA2000P allowed storing not only the information about the cassettes, but also the video materials from these cassettes in the draft resolution, what allows to the network users doing the draft editing.

The system consists of the next blocks:

• digitizing
• video server
• the database server
• client spaces

The experience accumulated during the development and penetration of that system had pushed the specialists of the company to change the approach to the architecture of the similar complexes. In the beginning of 2000 JCSI launched a new version of the system called "Videoarchive" which is in principal different from the previous one by its architecture. The base of the system is Internet-technology. The database of the archive is situated on the server that is configured as the Internet server. The server is fixed in the premises of the video archive and connects to the local computer network of the TV company. The server for the storage of video material in low resolution and the digitizing station are fixed there as well. On that the procedure of the system fix is almost finish. From each computer, that is situated in the local network of the TV company it is enough to start the Internet Explorer, to type in the name of the computer on which the "Videoarchive" database is located and the work can be started. If the client's computer has the old version of the Internet Explorer the system automatically renovates it. As, in the case of such an approach the clients' spaces are based on the free distributed of the Microsoft software the cost of the whole complex diminishes gradually.

"Videoarchive" system structure scheme

With the development the company might modernize the computer network on its own, broaden the amount of local computers and jointing the volume of disc arrays for the video that is stored in low resolution. The stations for the digitizing of the videocassette on the low-resolution server are supplied as a separate option. With the help of that software the data about the needed video plots can be extract out of the video archives, and to form the Batch List on their base, and than the system controls the videocassette recorder on its own offering to put the corresponding videocassette into the videocassette recorder from time to time. The level quality of the video digitizing on the video server directly depends on the carrying capacity of the local network of the TV company.

If the customer desires to work with the fair quality of the image the company can provide him with such an opportunity but that will need the full change of the network equipment of the TV company and sufficient spendings on the disc array.

The "Videoarchive" system maintains the three types of users:

• The Senior Registrar
• The Registrar
• Client

The Senior Registrar sets the passwords and the levels of access to the data of the video archives. He also is responsible for the saving of the database in proper time, the extermination of the written off cassettes, has an access to the journal of all the events that occurred in the system. For example, if one of the Registrars made a mistake during the entry or deleting the cassette from archives than by the records about that in the journal it is easy to determine who and when had done that. Also the Senior Registrar can enter the new types of the cassettes, new places for their storage.

The Registrar accepts for the storage or hand the cassettes, make a request for their annihilation. The system accumulates the data about the amount of the census the cassette had gone through. If that amount is bigger that the bearable one then the Registrar completes the claim on the writing out of that cassette. The Registrar enters into the system all the changes connected with the cassettes. If this cassette is author's then the author can carry these changes in if he has the cassette on his hands. In that case the Registrar can look in the journal of events what changes, by who and when were included into the content of that cassette.

The Client can look through the content of all the cassettes stored in the database of the video archives. If the database has the video of the low resolution on the corresponding plots that the Client can make the draft editing, stating in the progress of viewing the assembly reversals and accumulating his list of editing decision. If the cassette is needed to be given on hands, the Client can make a request on its receiving. If someone else has already taken the cassette the system gives the appropriate warnings.

The search is organized in all the fields of the base. The conditions of the search can be grouped on the principal 'and', 'or'. The system has simple and pictorial Russian-speaking interface and the reliable service system.

Due to the Internet-architecture, each one of the system users starting from the Senior Registrar and to the Client can enter the system from any of the computers of the local network through the appropriate password. That means that the system doesn't have the strict attachments to the concrete workplace. If the system has the direct exit to the global Internet network than it is possible to operate with the archives of the TV company from any part of the world. It is obvious, that in that case the opportunity to work with video disappears. The system has the reliable protection from the network breaking in. But if the system administrator of the TV company would want to grant the resource to the outer world they should take care of the security of the other programs and data, that are situated in the local network.

The "Videoarchive" system is constantly improving and finishing off according to the new tasks advanced by the users.

Provided by the Joy Company System Integration.

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