Pebble Beach Systems, a provider of broadcast automation solutions has announced that Egypts newest commercial broadcaster, CBC Network, has launched with two Dolphin integrated channel devices under Marina automation control. CBC will be broadcasting three 24 hour free-to-air channels via satellite, and the first of these -CBC Drama went on air at the start of […]
Pebble Beach Systems, a provider of broadcast automation solutions has announced that Egypts newest commercial broadcaster, CBC Network, has launched with two Dolphin integrated channel devices under Marina automation control.
CBC will be broadcasting three 24 hour free-to-air channels via satellite, and the first of these -CBC Drama went on air at the start of August to carry relevant drama content for the duration of Ramadan.
Speaking about the launch, the companys regional manager for the Middle East, Samir Isbaih, confirmed: This is a landmark installation for Pebble Beach Systems, showcasing the tight integration of Marina and our Dolphin integrated channel device. Together with local partner, New Vision, we have helped launch this new Cairo-based operation in an exceptionally short timeframe.
Marina is the latest offering in Pebble Beach Systems suite of automation products. Featuring a new design, it exploits 64 bit processing and development tools to deliver an intelligent feature set. Marina offers multiple language support, dynamic allocation of devices across the system, and a single centralised database, delivering operational and technical efficiency to broadcasters of all sizes, and allowing channels to be added without affecting on-air operations.
Dolphin operates under Marina control as an SD/HD video server, master control switcher, character generator and channel branding solution, combining channel density with low power consumption. In order to meet CBCs ingest, playout and redundancy requirements Pebble Beach Systems delivered two Dolphin44 units, one for main and one for backup, along with the Marina automation system. Each RU Dolphin frame is configured with four inputs, two of which are used for VTR ingest and two for recording live feeds. Similarly, each Dolphin has four outputs, three of which are assigned to the playout of the channels and their backups, with the fourth acting as a review port.
CBCs two additional channels, which make up the main programming for the broadcaster, feature a high proportion of live content and will place complex graphics demands on the Dolphins, including logos, prayer straps, and now/next/later graphics which are populated directly via the Marina playlist.
Ingest is either from tape or from a live feed, and media is stored locally on the Dolphins, as well being copied to a shared storage array which has up to 1000 hours of content.
Once material is ingested into Dolphin, Marinas integrated markup tools enable clips to be marked up into segments for playout. All functions are available via a common user interface which accesses a single system-wide database, making operation of the system simple and straightforward, and avoiding the risk of operational silos being created.
