BROADCAST TECHNOLOGY
At the heart of the
playout ecosystem
As broadcasters venture into a new broadcast ecosystem, which
encompasses not simply new technologies, but new workflows,
skills requirements and business models, choosing an experienced
technology provider to partner with through this transition is vital.
B Y T O M
G ITTI
NS
Experience and expertise
P eb b l e B eac h S y stem s has un riv al l ed
experience in the specialist field of playout. A
world leader in automation, channel-in-a-box,
integrated and virtualised playout technology,
with scalable products designed for highly
efficient multi-channel transmission as well
as complex news and sports television, the
company has systems ranging from one to
over 150 channels installed in more than 70
countries.
A successful 2016 has seen new
installations and system expansions at sites
around the world, including CNN in Chile,
Globosat in Bra il, ARTE in France, TV3 in
Ireland, DMC in the Netherlands, IMG in the
UK, Groupe V Media in Canada, and MBC in
Dubai — all of which have contributed to a
record period for the company.
Innovation and continuity
Thanks to new product offerings including
Orca — the virtualised playout system for
private and public clouds, and the 4K/Ultra
HD (UHD) Dolphin integrated channel device,
and with strong partnerships with leading
vendors such as Harmonic, Pixel Power and
Tedial, the company is well placed to enable
end-users’ transition to fully virtualised IPbased solutions, and to serve more traditional
markets and end-users.
Our open, flexible systems position us at
the heart of the playout ecosystem where we
can leverage our experience to evolve and
innovate, while satisfying those customers
who require best-of-breed, on-premise,
traditional technology.
14
Migrating at a pace to suit you
The Pebble Beach Systems strategy focuses
on allowing customers to migrate to new
automation technology, and to IP and cloudbased solutions when they are ready while
protecting their current playout investment.
For broadcasters looking to move away
from legacy automation solutions — including
smaller operators with low channel counts
— the Marina Migration Pack enables the
deployment of cutting-edge technology that
is fully supported and growing, with a suite of
tools, which have already been deployed by
former ADC, Avid/Sundance and Omnibus iTX
users.
These solutions can be deployed alongside
legacy workflows, easily integrate with
archives, and bridge to existing databases to
ease the transition. We also deliver excell ent
integration with many traffic systems, and
operator change management is simplified
thanks to our flexible GUI (graphical user
interface), which can mimic legacy systems.
This allows our customers to update
all or parts of their signal chain when it is
appropriate for their business. Our compact,
easy-to-manage channel-in-a-box systems
are suitable for remote or disaster recovery
facilities, and customers can then evolve to
larger channel counts and different delivery
platforms at their own pace.
The pure software approach
The transition to an all-IP infrastructure may
be well under way for some facilities, but it
is also the case that specialist solutions are
still required for specific functionalities such
as version management, playout, high-end
graphics and non-linear distribution. In fact,
many broadcasters have unique customisation
requirements that are best met by a best-ofbreed approach to outfitting the transmission
facility.
There is much talk of standardising
operations to move uncompressed videoover-IP in order to allow broadcasters to build
a multi-vendor solution. But replacing SDI
connections with IP connections in the playout
chain is not necessarily the most efficient way
to move forward.
Here at Pebble Beach Systems, we have for
some time adopted a ‘pure software’ approach.
By bringing specialist third-party technology
and the focused skillsets of the companies
behind it together, and developing interfaces
for plug-ins to best-of-breed solutions,
which are hosted within a single playout
environment, we can avoid any limitations
imposed by moving video-over-IP.
As we move towards purely virtualised
playout, these multi-vendor integrations
gain even more importance on the technical,
commercial and customer experience level.
We recognise that broadcasters value the
“Replacing SDI
connections with IP
connections in the
playout chain isn’t
necessarily the most
efficient way to
move forward.”
— Tom Gittins
CEO, Pebble Beach Systems
skills, technology and expertise of specialist
vendors, and appreciate their need to integrate
into legacy workflows, especially in the areas
of graphics, for example.
With several new partnerships recently
announced, including with leading graphics
specialist Pixel Power and media asset
management (MAM) vendor Tedial, Pebble
Beach Systems continues to innovate in the
playout space, working to evolve the playout
environment at a pace that suits customers’
business and organisational goals.
Building partnerships
End-users are not simply buying a product,
but are investing in the people: building
a relationship with their suppliers and
collaborating with them to maximise the ROI
(return on investment) from this technology.
It is those vendors who can truly listen to the
specific requirements of each deployment,
adapt to the customers’ needs, offer expertise
and a collaborative approach well beyond
the on-air date, and deliver accountability for
their offerings throughout the life cycle of the
deployment, who truly deliver a ROI.
Pebble Beach Systems is uniquely well
positioned to meet these expectations.