Two major channels in Kazakhstan, Jibek Joly and the international service Silk Way, operate under the authority of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (PTRK). The channels produce a large amount of original content and, in conjunction with Kazinform, are major sources of television news.
To boost productivity and efficiency while also increasing creativity, PTRK decided to develop a greenfield production centre for television and radio. Built in the capital, Astana, the new building now houses Jibek Joly, Silk Way and Kazinform.
Coming from different locations, each had its own technology platform and ways of working. To achieve the goal of efficiency it was important to bring all the operations into a common working environment to support news, production, playout and archiving. The new technology platform also had to be adaptable to the needs of the different users, and intuitive in use to speed up-take and operator confidence.
The challenge
PTRK was determined on a single, highly integrated solution from ingest to archiving, supporting all users. It wanted a proven solution which could be implemented quickly and securely: developing a bespoke architecture for the new complex would be too expensive, take too long and ultimately would be too hard to support.
The need for an agile, efficient system also meant that it had to be a software architecture, running on standard computer hardware and connected over IP. That allows PTRK to connect large numbers of users – the current installation has licences for 75 desktop users alone – and to rapidly develop and roll out workflows to suit specific processes and productions across the two channels and news agency.
One of the drivers for the new integrated complex was the ability to readily share content between channels, and to be able to deliver across multiple platforms, online as well as broadcast.
PTRK had some experience of using Cinegy software, and other broadcasters in Kazakhstan use the technology so local experience was available. Cinegy is represented in the country by local systems integrator DNK, which meant regional support was readily available. The decision was made to build a fully comprehensive platform based on Cinegy software tools.
The Cinegy solution
Together, PTRK and DNK developed a comprehensive solution, built using standard modules from the Cinegy software suite.
Cinegy Air PRO, together with Cinegy Convert PRO handles all media ingest and management, including quality control and format conversion. This ensures that anything arriving in the facility is quickly converted to the house file format, making it easily available to all staff who need access. These modules also support live production in the newsroom, and deliver the broadcast and streamed output of the two channels.
Cinegy Archive Enterprise tracks assets from the point of ingest to secure and accessible archiving. A comprehensive, searchable and usable archive is vital in news broadcasting, so the integration of the long-term storage into the active system is a critical part of the workflows at PTRK. The Cinegy software applications allow the broadcaster to build and manage a very large – effectively endlessly scalable – archive.
Cinegy Prompter is an integral part of the production system, so scripts are automatically loaded ready for live prompting. Because it is directly embedded in the workflow, the typical pressures seen in news and live television, such as very late changes to scripts and running orders, are instantly applied to the prompters without any need for specific actions from the operators.
Signals are routed around the facility as necessary using Cinegy Route, and all monitoring is managed by Cinegy Multiviewer. In a busy and flexible production centre, monitor walls need to change quickly between productions and at different times of day. The software management of all monitor displays by Cinegy Multiviewer means that not only can mosaics be instantly reconfigured, it is also part of the station automation so as a production moves through the facility, so too does the preferred displays.
Cinegy Multiviewer also integrates critical signal quality tools, including waveform monitors and audio level and loudness metering.
Control of the technology is through task-defined, very intuitive computer displays. Each user is only presented with the information and functionality required at the time, making correct and confident operation clear, as well as eliminating the possibility of users becoming distracted or confused by unwanted data.
“One of the critical advantages of Cinegy is its user-friendly interface,” says Yernar Ibragimov, CTO of PTRK. “The intuitive design makes the system easy and efficient, significantly speeding up the training process for our team.
“Today, we have as many as 100 concurrent Cinegy users,” he adds, “and we produce as much as 40 hours of content daily.”
In operation
PTRK and its broadcast channels moved into the new centre in March 2023, broadcasting its first news programme just five days later. The users of the platform were immediately able to take advantage of the inherent benefits of its integrated workflows. By eliminating the need to hand work off from one system to another, it speeds everything from editing to publishing.
The underlying content management means that material does not need to be stored in multiple locations, so there is no pressure on bandwidth to move files. By making these significant efficiencies in media management it reduces the need for storage space, saving on the cost of additional hardware, the machine room space it would occupy, and the power and air conditioning needed.
Users also emphasised the speed of the new system. Being able to create and publish content quickly is vital in today’s rapidly changing media market, and this responsiveness directly increases the brands’ competitiveness.
Because of its logical and intuitive operation, the integrated Cinegy platform was rapidly understood and accepted by the whole production and delivery team. They rely on its versatility and speed, and are continually fine-tuning the way they work to be even more productive and efficient.
“I am impressed by the versatility and high performance of the Cinegy platform,” says Yernar Ibragimov of PTRK. “We can rely on the system, even when processing large amounts of data. That gives us confidence that our production process will be smooth and seamless.”
