Independent broadcast playout facility ABS Broadcast has integrated the Grass Valley K2 Edge automated playout system (pictured) within its ABSolute Delivery Platform transmission service. “We were already somewhat familiar with the Grass Valley K2 Edge, as we have a number of PubliTronic channels on-air,” said Sass Jahani, CEO of ABS Broadcast. “While there are a number of good channel-in-a-box solutions available, Grass Valley gave us more with the ability to create and manage the look and feel of each channel with specific branding, as well as an open asset management system allowing our customers to look into their media asset libraries from any web browser. Rather than a simple playout system, Grass Valley offered us a complete, integrated playout solution.” The ABSolute Delivery Platform developed by Grass Valley in conjunction with ABS Broadcast uses K2 Edge playout servers and the Grass Valley K2 TX/MAM asset management system. The first phase of the project saw 10 channels go on-air with the new technology progressively between February and May. The second phase will add 10 additional channels. The K2 Edge system will support continuing expansion as ABS Broadcast’s business grows. “We are in a highly competitive business, and the ability to get new channels on the air quickly gives us a significant competitive edge,” added Jahani. “With our old technology it could take up to 12 weeks to add a channel. With K2 Edge, we can get a new channel on-air in as little as 24 hours.” The agreement with ABS includes training and on-site commissioning, as well as continuing support. Central facilities include the Grass Valley Channel Composer on-air graphics manager, which creates on-screen graphics templates and manages automatic insertion, and Cobalt playout automation software which drives the playout workflow from externally created schedules. www.grassvalley.com
