Cutting Edge

WPSD Paducah, Ky., has added four Media 100 884/X real-time, online editing and compositing systems for use in promotions, commercials and local programming creation. "Our existing digital nonlinear setup was aging, and we were going to update it via a substantial system purchase," says WPSD's Creative Services Director Dave Rowton. "Getting commercials and promotions to air requires fast and reliable tools." Rowton points to the speed of the layering (two-hour projects can be done in 30-40 minutes) and effects capability of 844/X as ways to improve the design quality and timeliness of spots. Rowton says, "We expect to have one of the most state-of-the-art production suites between Nashville and St. Louis."

Pathfire, which delivers IP video over satellite, and automation-system maker Digital Transaction Group (DTG) are collaborating on a digital-content management system that will automatically ingest, connect and move programming content and associated metadata directly to air. The two companies will jointly license and integrate Pathfire's Digital Media Gateway with DTG's Airo XDS automation system. The product is expected to be available in the fourth quarter. James Brown, DTG vice president, says it's a win-win for broadcasters because it will eliminate time-consuming manual efforts and the potential for error.

NBC News Channel has turned the Herculean task of tracking usage of content related to the Summer Olympics over to Teletrax technology. This technology embeds an imperceptible digital watermark into the video whenever it is edited, broadcast or duplicated. A global network of decoders then captures all occurrences of the embedded video being broadcast via satellite, cable or terrestrially and generates tracking reports for the original content owners. Bob Horner, president of NBC News Channel, says results from two years of Teletrax monitoring have provided NBC with valuable insight into how clients use its video and how to can enhance its service. Teletrax is a joint venture between Royal Philips Electronics and Medialink.