content scheduling & playout
Playout is the combination of linear program scheduling, the actual playout and monitoring the program.
Sources for scheduling and playout are video assets and live streams & signals as well as logos for overlays and graphics & text for lower thirds. The playout creates live streams & signals as well as EPGs. Depending on the encoding engine used SCTE 35 triggers can be added for downstream ad insertion.
Playout consists from the x-dream-Fabrik modules Upload & Archive & Schedule & Playout & Monitor. It can be combined with all source modules like Record, Ingest, ProXchange, with the post-production product Produce, with the media management product Archive, with the and with the output products like Publish and Deliver.
Schedule & Playout enables monetizing on your Archive content. This can be individual media assets as well as series, seasons and episodes. But live sources can be made part of the program as well. Thus Playout addresses all types of program: FAST channels, regional broadcaster, special interest group program, business TV and more.
Playlists are the base for the program scheduling at a 24/7 time grid. They are used for an easy reuse of content sequences at a different time or day and for loop channels. Playlists can contain video assets, live sources or placeholders of defined duration. The placeholders are used for instance to define an advertisement block that is booked shortly before the actual playout or for program elements that are not available yet at scheduling time. Every playlist item can have its individual timed logo insertion and lower third overlay.
The Schedule is created from playlists, individual video assets or live sources. Placeholders are filled in either manually or automatically with program content, advertisement or promotional content. Multiple channels can be scheduled by one system and one or multiple operators.
For event productions we use playlists with placeholders as templates for the program structure. Via a dialogue the timing, sources and overlays for the event job are defined very efficiently. That way flexibility and constant quality goals are easily achieved.
The actual playout can happen fully automatically but an human operator has always the full control on the program. That way he can react to program changes or changing live source conditions. One or multiple programs can be managed from one system and by one or multiple operators.
For the actual playout different engines are available - each with a special strength. All of them are creating streams for IP delivery. Some can produce classical video signals. For broadcaster we go with SDI, NDI or SMPTE 2010 signals for live sources & output and have a fully redundant environment. For network operators we use RTMP, SRT and UDP streams as live source, create ABR streams incl. SCTE 35 triggers and run again fully redundant. But for price sensetive customers we can go with a simple, non redundant solution that outputs a RTMP stream.
A built in multiviewer shows the return signal of the program from the CDN or satelite downlink multicast. In addition it can play other stations programs.
The pricing model of Schedule & Playout is composed from the following elements:
1) In and out-bound data transfer will be measured and invoiced by end of each month.
2) In and out-bound data transfer will be measured. Agreed volume will be invoiced monthly in advance. Additional data transfer will be invoiced by end of each month. Price for additional data transfer is 0.05 €/GByte.
3) In and out-bound data transfer will be measured. When utilizing the agreed bitrate maximum the calculated fee will be invoiced monthly in advance. When utilizing a higher bitrage for more than 5% of the time the additional transfer bitrate will be invoiced by end of each month. Price for additional transfer bitrate is 50.00 €/100 Mbps.
4) Data storage volume will be measured and invoiced by end of each month.
5) Data storage volume will be measured. Agreed volume will be invoiced monthly in advance. Additional data storage volume will be invoiced by end of each month. Price for additional data storage volume is 0.25 €/GByte.
6) Every asset delivery will be measured and invoiced by end of each month.
7) Asset volume will be measured. Agreed volume will be invoiced monthly in advance. Additional asset volume will be invoiced by end of each month. Price for additional asset volume is 1.00 €/asset & target.
For Transcoding and Quality Control prices please see Chained Process Pricing.