Store, index, catalog , search, program and play out audio-visual content in a flexible, reliable simple way.
Hardata hdxVideo is a complete system of audio-visual material administration. Based on Hardata hdxServer technology, it supplies a safe and flexible platform that will allow you to manage your content access and destination easily.
Applications
- TV stations automation.
- Video material filing and management.
Advantages
Easy-to-use: It has a carefully designed user-friendly interface to make operative tasks and different modules interaction easier.
Flexible: It administers professional video servers (GVG/Thomson, 360 Systems) or PC video cards (Harmony). It controls peripherals such as VTRs, video matrixes and logo generators, among others. It bears DV & Mpeg2 hi-res formats with Mpeg4 low-res proxy versions.
Scalability: It can be easily enhanced sopporting thousands of users and millions of materials.
Open: It can be applied to servers, networks and standard PCs.
Safe: It allows effective access control to material in your library.
Reliable: It is designed to be reliable from its architecture to its implementation.
Remote administration: It sopports Internet remote administration.
Architecture
Hardata hdxVideo is assembled on hdxServer platform, which is based on the latest technology, open architecture and industry standards offering safety and reliability. Thus content creators are able to improve quality as well as enhance working possibilities by shortening production cycles and ensuring the efficient content use. Suitable for the Internet, satellite communications and mobile technologies.
Hardata hdxVideo was developed considering qualified users' experience and with the aim of satisfying three premises in its structure: flexibility, safety and reliability. Flexibility
Hardata hdxVideo presents the same users interface no matter if it is controlling a video server or PC video cards. Owing to its exclusive HDM platform -which unifies external devices administration- Hardata hdxVideo keeps users in ignorance of the complexities and differences of hardware equipment. Besides, the proxy version that Hardata hdxVideo automatically generates from ingested materials makes possible to explore and visualize them in an ordinary office network. Safety
Assembled on Hardata hdxServer platform, Hardata hdxVideo acquires the whole users management structure, access control and audit rendered by Hardata hdxServer, which proves to be an extremely safe solution in environments with a considerable number of terminals and users. Reliability
Every element of Hardata hdxVideo has been developed and tried out independently: starting with its SQL database backup, following with its system integrity which provides transactions management in Hardata hdxServer Services layer, and ending with its HDM platform. All these thorough controls ensure the final solution reliability.
Features
Video content management of a TV station
It centrally stores the whole video content of a TV station. It automatically produces a Proxy version for Internet distribution. It is equipped with a powerful information search tool.
Video Servers and Peripherals Control
Hardata hdxVideo administers professional video servers (GVG/ Thomson, 360 Systems, etc.) or PC video cards (Harmony). It controls peripherals such as VTRs, video matrixes and logo generators, among others. It bears DV & Mpeg2 hi-res formats with Mpeg4 low-res proxy versions.
Ingest with VTRs control
Ingest could be done using external video servers or by importing materials from non-linear editors. When you do it, the hdxServer generates a low-res “proxy” version related to the hi-res version.
With the external video servers option, the materials could be digitalized and then timed by setting the input and output cue points avoiding new ingestions. It is also possible to import material from CD, DVD or Network.
Through the video cards alternative, you could import Mpeg 2 video files from the CD, DVD or Network; storing it in the IT server in conjunction with its proxy version.
Automatic Capture and Logger
Ingest of material is administered with RDL (Record Decision List) module by schedule or by time code, making, for example, satellite signals recording or massive capture of commercials of a tape easier. Logger module allows uninterrupted video recording by segmenting in configurable-length clips.
Filing
Approved new material is filed in accordance with material code, source or stored tape, tape time code, duration and further reference comments.
If it is desired to keep material in its tape original transport, it will be filed creating a Proxy version for “Off Line” visualization, allowing what has been set up in play-out lists.
Using database information jointly with Proxy versions will make visualization of material possible in office environment workstations, away from technical areas.
Play Lists
Production and play modules are combined to create play lists for different stations and for different days, by simple recognition of material, dragging it to the corresponding play list or by means of specific traffic software. An “Off Line” Play Back visualization of one or more of the created groups will be possible through the use of Proxy videos in any authorized workstation, both in and out of technical areas.
Flexibility and automation
By the execution of the play-out module in a PC containing a video card, the recorded material will be played back in hi-res DV or Mpeg 2 format, delivering video and audio in the formats the card output supports (compound video, S-Video, DV, Equipment, Analogs, SDI and stereo audio, mono-balanced or not). Material visualization in a pre-view monitor integrated to the application is also possible.
Control
If the hi-res video is stored in an external server, that server will be controlled by playing back a list, allowing a pre-view in an external monitor if the server supports such facility. It is also feasible to control external devices such as matrixes, VTRs, DDRs if the corresponding protocol is available.
By the use of Hardata hdxSever facilities it is possible to issue play reports and material administration by the recognition of the users involved in the different processes.
Content Distribution
Hardata hdxVideo is designed to distribute multimedia content either by the use of TCP/IP connections in a VPN, or through an audio, data and video satellite channel.
Hardata hdxVideo can also send programming to remote stations, collect their audit information and transfer it to the head central server. In this way, incorporation of all network material, its distribution, programming, play-out and verification can be administered from the head.
Remote Administration
The architecture on which Hardata hdxVideo is developed allows the remote administration by the Internet of all the information available in the server, so that it is possible to manage users accounts, their license assignment, material categories setting, system import, recording, edition and material playout. Likewise, format, programming and audit reports can be controlled and administered.
The software produces broadcast-quality versions that allow monitoring each audio file by a simple Internet telephone call. Since Hardata hdxServer platform generates a Proxy version for each material stored in the system, it is possible to monitor them even through an Internet telephone connection.
Besides, the system reports about: connected users list – including user’s name, terminal name, IP address, application and version to which it is connected; memory and CPU use percentage of PC Server, Hardata hdxServer and SQL Server. It can also visualize Input and output traffic, number of services executed per second and number of simultaneous Sessions.
Centralized users Control
Hardata hdxVideo and Hardata hdxServer use the same user structure. Therefore, users are divided into groups; each of them is assigned with specific licenses for each application (to delete material, edit, play out, etc.) and each user can belong to more than one group.
Environments
Video cards based Solution
In an open infrastructure environment the system is made up of standard PCs and servers using capture and playback cards of different brands according to the customers’ choice. PCs are connected with a Gigabit Ethernet network and servers for material interchange through application modules. The number of PCs and servers will be related to the system redundancy and complexity level, which can be reduced to only two in its minimum expression.
After importing a material it is cataloged and stored in the hi-res server and a low-res copy is generated for offline visualization. The server can be filed in a special PC or in a SAN or NAS environment.
Applications can be run in any office PC connected to a 10/100 Bt network and included as user of Hardata hdxServer. Low-res proxy material could be also seen, even in terminals connected in a VPN environment through a WAN network.
The Play-out PC controls, by means of a single list, not only an internal Playout card by material code, time code, time, or GPI, but also other external peripherals such as a video matrix, other VTRs and logo generator.
Video-server based Solution
A versatile drivers architecture enables to control an external video server with one or more inputs and outputs, and using the same applications than those used in an open infrastructure. In this case, it could be a 10/100 BT network because hi-res material transit takes place in a closed environment usually offered by the server supplier.
A PC with the production application controls the material loading VTR and the server ingest card, creating –through a capture card- a DV copy (optional) which will be used to produce, by software, a Mpg4 low-res proxy version.
The customer can either choose to keep the DV copy together with that stored in the external server- both considered as a single material-, or remove it once the proxy copy is created.
If the DV copy is kept, the ingest PC capture card could be used as play out, creating a passive system reserve. Thus, the possibility of growth in lower cost play out stations by merely adding a PC with its output card and its transmission application could also be easier.
The functions for office areas and on play peripherals control are equal to the solution above mentioned since the applications and environment in which they perform are the same.
Different versions
Pro Version: Developed to manage administer the total automation of up to 4 TV stations, controlling external peripherals such as video servers, VTRs, Matrices and logo generators, and also internal playback video cards (see supported hardware). Perfect for TV stations or cable or satellite signal heads, Cable content insertions, advertising spaces.
Office Version: Allows you to ingest materials automatically from VTRs, as well as import/export video files and generate the programming (see supported hardware).
IPlay Version: Designed for instantaneous emission of videoclips by controlling media servers. It’s ideal for broadcasting notes or clips in TV studios. More about IPlay Version.
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