IS
Companies like Red Bee do what their customers want and pay for. They accommodate the needs of the client, whatever they might be. A customer like UKTV won't want to submit their playout schedules weeks in advance and not change anything.
Remember that every channel from BBC1 right down to the cheapest channel in the high numbers of Sky's EPG has 'automated playout'
Ahhah - well I'm still impressed that something like this did happen. My impression of automated playout, particularly the way Red Bee do it, was that it's taken well away from the management of the channel.
Companies like Red Bee do what their customers want and pay for. They accommodate the needs of the client, whatever they might be. A customer like UKTV won't want to submit their playout schedules weeks in advance and not change anything.
Remember that every channel from BBC1 right down to the cheapest channel in the high numbers of Sky's EPG has 'automated playout'
WP
I've not got a chip on my shoulder with Red Bee, but I think I'm right in saying that as well as schedules, nowadays most presentation elements are recorded, edited and to all intents and purposes 'finalised' well ahead of broadcast. This is especially true of the UKTV channels, which do not have any live presentation of any sort.
Given that style of operation, it's impressive that they were able to pull all the right strings to do it (and that somebody had the inclination to do it in the first place).
Given that style of operation, it's impressive that they were able to pull all the right strings to do it (and that somebody had the inclination to do it in the first place).
DE
Haven't they started doing some interactivity stuff with announcements on some of the UKTV channels though recently, reading out tweets and so-on following big-name programmes? I'm sure I've heard that its an idea that's being worked on, and certainly one that channels are asking for more and more. After years of getting rid of live announcers on more and more channels, it's now back in vogue to re-introduce them.
Red Bee were certainly forward looking when they built the Broadcast Centre. It had a great deal of spare capacity for playout areas and loads of well built continuity studios, some even large enough to accommodate cameras and lighting.
Red Bee were certainly forward looking when they built the Broadcast Centre. It had a great deal of spare capacity for playout areas and loads of well built continuity studios, some even large enough to accommodate cameras and lighting.