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IBIS launches Media Management (IMM)
September 2005, IBC Booth 7.310: IBIS is launching IMM -> IBIS Media Management - at IBC 2005. Developed from the popular IBIS ServerSuite applications, IMM is designed to add clarity and efficiency to the workflow. The applications forming IMM are available as modular elements, depending on the solution required. The key components are as follows:
Ingest -> ServerLoad
IBIS ServerLoad controls the ingest of material on to a server or server system. Designed to conform both standard EDL acquisition of material from tape to server and to control individual tape to server caching, material acquisition is also possible 'on the fly' with a 'crash' or timer based record facility -> enabling the automatic capture of news feeds. On servers where a loop record facility is available ServerLoad can also be used to log live material as it is being recorded, saving clips of interest as they happen, allowing the material to be accessed by other users for editing or transmission as soon as they are available.
ServerLoad can accept details of material requiring acquisition from other systems via a simple data file. Where IBIS Channel Management forms part of the infrastructure, a sophisticated look-ahead mechanism can be provided to cross reference scheduled material for a specified time period and channel to that material's presence within the server system. Missing material is then flagged for acquisition within the application alongside it's media location details allowing for quick and simple management of missing items.
Each ServerLoad application controls a single server input port. The ingest source can be external video or a local VTR which can be controlled directly from the ServerLoad workstation via a ‘virtual’ control panel. ServerLoad can also control an output port of the server for review/preview purposes to enhance the compliance process.
Playout -> ServerPlay
IBIS ServerPlay is designed to provide single or multi-port playout primarily from servers. It offers GPI triggering options for further simple device control, making it suitable for a variety of on-air applications including news, sports, programme and commercial playout.
The base application enables control of 2 server ports -> A/B roll. Playlists can be created within ServerPlay and saved as a .ply file. Alternatively playlists can be imported from external Newsroom or Scheduling Systems in this format, or the native system format, such as ENPS, iNews, MOS, ICM. The playlist can be easily edited at any time whilst on air and clips can be added from the server library via keyboard entry or drag and drop.
The system provides three standard modes of clip playout; single, block and loop. In single mode clips are played one at a time -> as in typical news bulletin presentation style. Block mode enables the playout of a selected group of clips -> as in the top to tail playout of a commercial break. When ServerPlay is used in a loop mode, one or more loops of material are played to air continually. Multiple loops can also be set up if required.
Whilst standard playout is from top to bottom of the playlist ServerPlay also provides the user with the ability to select any clip from anywhere in the list for playout, whether or not it has already been played, making it ideal for highly dynamic environments such as News Transmission.
A purpose-designed control panel is available allowing dynamic operational control of the playlist and full master/slave configuration of ServerPlay is also available for use with one or more servers for resilience.
Management - ServerBase
IMM includes applications for both physical and metadata management. ServerBase monitors and manages the contents on a server or server system. It is ideally suited to provide the ability to manage server contents at the desktop and away from the transmission environment. Users can interrogate the server for an up to date list of contents ingested from a variety of sources by IBIS and third party applications; produce and print management reports; delete and purge out-of-date material; edit material metadata (NB this is subject to server functionality). If used in conjunction with IBIS Vista Browse application, ServerBase will allow users to view browse quality versions of the stored video on standard desktop computer platforms, alongside details of the stored clips.
ServerBase can connect to a server or group of servers either via direct RS422 control port or over a network connection giving multiple wide-area access without being restricted by the number of server I/Os. As data is added, modified or deleted from the server, this is immediately reflected in the ServerBase database.
ServerBase can be configured as a single Windows based workstation or a ‘server’ providing database access for multiple users from their desktop. The ServerBase database is a standard SQL accessible database which can be interrogated by any ‘client’ which can generate SQL queries (which include Microsoft Office applications amongst numerous others). When used in conjunction with IBIS Channel Management, the necessary data is available to enable ICM to provide powerful 'live' status and location reporting of media.
Movement & Conversion -> ServerMirror & MediaMover
These applications have been designed to provide automatic mechanisms for moving video and audio clips between servers, and for triggering the automatic conversion of material from one format to another. These applications utilise specific features available for a particular server type such as ftp file transfer over Ethernet, fibre channel transfer or a standard SDI dub.
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