Production Automation Heats Up

摘要

As broadcasters look to streamline operations and cut costs, an intriguing option is production automation systems. They use software to control various functions of a newscast, and allow local stations to reduce head count.rnSystems such as Grass Valley's Ignite and Ross Video's OverDrive can control a variety of gear including production switchers, robotic cameras, audio mixers, video servers, graphics, routers, lights and multi-viewer displays. They have already been adopted by station groups such as Media General, the ABC-owned stations and NBC Local Media. And new players have entered the space, as both Sony and Snell introduced at NAB this spring automation systems based on their established production switchers.