ION Media Networks Chooses Volicon Observer® for Compliance Monitoring of Eight New HD ChannelsState-of-the-Art Monitoring and Logging System Provides Easy-to-Access Proof of Compliance With Closed Captioning Regulations
BURLINGTON, Mass. — March 31, 2009 — Volicon today announced that ION Media Networks, one of the largest television broadcasters in the U.S., has implemented an eight-channel Volicon Observer® media monitoring and logging system for its new high-definition (HD) channels. Installed at ION Media’s network operations center (NOC) in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Observer provides around-the-clock recording of all aired content to support regulatory compliance logging for the HD channels.
“Our previous monitoring system was not capable of receiving HD signals, so when we added the HD channels to our distribution lineup, we needed a bulletproof method of capturing those feeds in order to demonstrate compliance with closed captioning regulations,” said Paul Garrett, senior systems engineer at the ION Media Networks NOC. “The Observer already has a great track record within our company for high performance and ease of use, so it was an easy decision to add the new system in our NOC.”
Unlike conventional monitoring systems that require an extra purchase of downconversion equipment to convert the HD signal to SD, the Observer is the only monitoring system to directly accept native HD video. Because the HD stream is not downconverted, all metadata such as closed captioning is preserved, as well as the complete range (up to eight channels) of audio detail from HD signals recorded in Dolby® 5.1 or 7.1. Optimized for HD’s 16:9 aspect ratio, the Observer accepts signals from any HD-SDI interface with embedded audio.
By recording around the clock, the Observer provides a comprehensive log of all aired content for the eight HD channels that can easily be browsed and searched on by any ION Media operator with a Web browser. In the event that the company needs to prove that a certain segment of video meets federal requirements for closed captioning, the operator is able to search for and retrieve the segment quickly and easily, and then share a clip of the video with any requesting party via e-mail.
The new Observer system at headquarters is ION Media’s latest acquisition of Volicon equipment, adding to last spring’s deployment of two-channel Observers for each of the network’s 56 television stations located throughout the U.S. At the time, the purchase represented one of the largest-ever deployments of the award-winning Observer system to a single entity. The 56 Observers enable ION Media to maintain across-the-board quality of service (QoS) standards, compliance logging, and ad verification while providing centralized video monitoring and review capabilities for management.
“ION Media Networks is demonstrating just how versatile the Observer can be for a large media organization — whether to provide centralized monitoring and logging at the NOC, support oversight by company management, or enable easy-to-use monitoring for local affiliate stations,” said Julius Perl, vice president of marketing at Volicon. “As the competitive marketplace for HD programming heats up, the Observer gives broadcasters a powerful advantage through direct and easy-to-use monitoring of native HD video.”
More information about Observer and other Volicon products is available at http://www.volicon.com.
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About ION Media Networks
ION Media Networks, Inc. owns and operates the nation’s largest broadcast television station group and ION Television, which reaches more than 94 million U.S. television households via its nationwide broadcast television, cable, and satellite distribution systems and features popular TV series and movies from the award-winning libraries of RHI Entertainment, CBS Television, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures Television, Twentieth Television, and Warner Bros., among others. Using its digital multicasting capability, the company has launched several digital TV brands, including qubo, a channel for children focusing on literacy and values, and ION Life, a channel dedicated to active living and personal growth. It also has launched Open Mobile Ventures Corporation (OMVION), a business unit focused on the research and development of portable, mobile, and out-of-home transmission technology using the over-the-air digital television spectrum. For more information, visit http://www.ionmedia.tv.
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