Morpheus ICE (Integrated Content Engine) is a new, standalone automation and master control system housed in a single 3RU box.
Based on the company’s Morpheus automation and playout technology – including its renowned Media Ball approach to secondary event management – Pro-Bel says that Morpheus ICE provides everything broadcasters need for single channel playout and, by linking ICE units together, a multichannel environment. As it’s fully compatible with existing file formats ICE also works for adding cost-effective channel backup, preview or regional opt-out management to existing systems.
ICE supports a wide range of SD and HD video file formats removing the transcode bottleneck. It also features at least 1TB of internal RAID storage, plus connection to external network attached storage. This internal capacity equates to at least 100 hours of DV25 devoted to caching media for playout.
A fully-featured mixer is included. This includes four external video inputs for live sources as well as allowing the system to perform fades, mixes and wipes from internal sources. In addition ICE can control an external Pro-Bel router for further source selection and manages audio voiceovers using either embedded audio or the 16 discrete AES/EBU audio inputs. ICE can import and store graphical material (logos/bugs) and layer them onto the output stream, it can also integrate with external third-party graphics devices.
Benefiting from Pro-Bel’s full range of scheduling expertise, ICE has the technology to load, edit and append schedules, either on- or offline with content availability checks performed automatically.
“ICE also has the ability to handle unpredictable events where the lengths of the breaks vary, which is of course a key requirement in the modern broadcast environment. Another advantage of being part of the Morpheus family is that additional media management facilities can be added as and when required,” explained Howard Twine, Morpheus product manager.
“ICE is a logical progression for Pro-Bel and provides the ideal channel playout solution or redundant backup while offering an easy and affordable expansion route. Because of the breadth and depth of expertise we are able to cover all the key bases without compromising the technology or the price,” added company CEO, Graham Pitman.
