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Feb 16, 2004 - BroadView and Consortium Helping PBS Member Stations PBS and Vendor Consortium Develop Integrated System to Streamline and Reduce Operational Costs PBS' ACE Solution Unites Expertise of Eight Technology Leaders to reduce Local Station Operational Costs and Improve Program Delivery ALEXANDRIA, Va. - February 16, 2004 - PBS and a consortium of leading technology suppliers today announced the development of ACE, a new multicomponent broadcast solution that will serve as the model of efficiency in broadcast operations. PBS has assembled a consortium that includes Accenture, BroadView Software Inc., Intel Corp., Microsoft Corp., Miranda Technologies Inc., Omneon Video Networks, OmniBus Systems Inc. and SES AMERICOM Inc. to enable its member stations to take advantage of standard building blocks and proven information technology (IT) methodologies to automate repetitive processes and reduce costly manual operations. Designed by PBS Technology and Operations to support the needs of public television stations nationwide, PBS' ACE solution leverages the expertise and solutions of these eight industry leaders to construct an innovative and tightly integrated system that is expected to reduce dramatically local station costs for playout, master control and monitoring operations while simultaneously enhancing the quality of PBS program delivery and simplifying management of programming at the local level. "PBS has always viewed the innovative use and implementation of new technologies as part of its mission to serve our member stations and the American public, and ACE builds on this history by using standard IT building blocks to optimize our broadcast operations," said Andre Mendes, chief technology integration officer at PBS. "By integrating best-of-breed technologies from a consortium of leading suppliers, we have created a simplified broadcast model that is easy to replicate, expand, and service, yet flexible enough to preserve the character of individual member stations." PBS's ACE solution relies on standard components and a highly reliable and redundant network to consolidate basic operational services across all facilities while reducing redundant functions and manual processes at each member station. With a minimum infrastructure investment, participating PBS member stations benefit from easy integration and installation of proven play-to-air systems; standardized training, support, and monitoring of local control operations; and a resulting readiness to make a fast transition to a more efficient, fully featured digital broadcasting environment. Key components of ACE include automated channel operations; multi-level automated systems monitoring; remote problem identification, resolution, and escalation; and locally hosted scheduling, traffic, and underwriting functions. The project includes a scalable, networked server infrastructure from Omneon Video Networks; network-based automation and video asset management from OmniBus Systems; video interfacing, routing, master control switching, channel branding, and visual/aural facility monitoring over Internet Protocol (IP) from Miranda Technologies; traffic, scheduling and underwriting software from BroadView Software; satellite bandwidth and communication services from SES AMERICOM; Microsoft(r) .NET integration architecture and Windows Server(tm) software from Microsoft; critical server and desktop components and software-enabling services from Intel; and program management, design, and integration services provided by Accenture.... "ACE represents a fundamental shift within the broadcast industry, a move toward the convergence of standard computing architectures and advanced communications with broadcasting requirements. This will enable significant cost reductions and greater efficiency along with improved reliability throughout broadcast operations," said Dennis Haarsager, general manager of KWSU and KTNW. "This transition will provide PBS and participating member stations with a much stronger ability to adapt to the fast-changing broadcast landscape and integrate future technological advances into our program management and playout infrastructure." "PBS is among the world's top innovators for converting to all-digital broadcast TV formats on a very tight budget, with extremely high quality and performance requirements," said Gerry Kaufhold, Principal Analyst with In-Stat/MDR, based in Scottsdale, Arizona. "It has taken coordinated teamwork by these companies, under the leadership of PBS, to bring about seamless interfacing for this reliable, flexible, scalable, and cost-effective solution. No single manufacturer could supply the complete system, and the result of this effort should become a model for many other broadcasters around the globe." The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides digital conversion funding for public broadcast licensees as directed by congress, has included the ACE broadcast model in its current Digital Distribution Fund (DDF) funding round. CPB-qualified public television stations interested in taking advantage of the ACE technology may apply to this fund for a matching grant to supplement the station's investment. The first five participating PBS member stations will be going online in the second half of 2004, with an additional 50 to 60 deployments expected by the end of 2006. An ACE model station will be demonstrated at the 2004 PBS Technology Conference in Las Vegas, April 13 - 17 and at NAB2004 in booth # C7634-A, April 19 - 22. About PBS About Accenture About BroadView Software About Intel About Microsoft About Miranda Technologies About Omneon About OmniBus Systems About SES AMERICOM |