WideOrbit's Wider Reach
Low-Cost Solution Avoids Pitfalls of Legacy Systems
By George Winslow -- Broadcasting & Cable, 5/9/2011 12:01:00 AM
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One example of how vendors are looking to
revamp the whole notion of master control and
automation solutions can be found at Wide-
Orbit, which launched its WO Master Control
system last month.
WideOrbit already has widely deployed its
traffic and billing systems in TV stations, and
clients have long asked the software vendor to
build a master control and automation system.
But the company wanted to wait until after
the digital transition, explains Steve Smith,
director of TV automation. That way, WideOrbit
could take a fresh look at the problem, and it
does not get bogged down with an automation
product that would have to deal with legacy
analog systems that were on their way out,
Smith notes.
Smith, who wrote his master’s thesis in 1971
on broadcast automation and worked on the installation
of the first automation system at a TV
station in 1986, believes the new product, which
took about 30 months to develop, offers a lowcost
solution that breaks new technical ground.
For starters, it uses off-the shelf IT technology
to cut capital and operating costs while
offering a number of advanced features. “It is
the industry’s first fully integrated IT and DTV
hardware and software solution in a single IT
server,” Smith says.
Pricing for the WideOrbit server, which is
capable of handling up to four channels of
SD or HD feeds with built in-master control
switching, graphics, automation and content
storage, will vary with the customer’s needs,
Smith says.
In any configuration, however, “it is very
scalable and much less expensive than
traditional solutions,” Smith explains. “We
are already installing it in two stations [with
deployment by July 1], and it’s been extremely
well-received.”
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