Porto Canal is a generalist Portuguese cable television channel focused on news, sports and entertainment that has almost 100% of its own content.
THE CHALLENGE
In order to fulfill its rebranding and the expected channel growth after its partnership with FC Porto, Porto Canal needed to update, renew and expand its existing software infrastructure and solutions, while being able to manage them efficiently and centrally.
There was an important requirement that the software solutions provided could integrate and manage the hardware solution chosen for technical updating, as well as those already existing at Porto Canal. In addition, the time available for installing, updating, training staff and implementing new solutions was limited and all of this had to be done without interfering with the broadcasting process of the existing channel. Finally, all this technical update included changing the channel format to HD (1080i) and adding new physical infrastructure: new studios and a new location (inside the F.C. Porto stadium).
THE SOLUTION
For the core and to manage all content, the Production Asset Manager (PAM) module VSNEXPLORER with VSN implementation, which offers all the necessary tools to efficiently manage and control the media throughout the entire creative process, from ingestion content, going through the editing and finalization process with the delivery of the finished content. Allied and integrated with VSNEXPLORER PAM we have ingest automation with VSNAUTOREC and VSNCAPTURER video servers to handle the necessary baseband ingest operations.
In order to provide the best news workflow for Porto Canal, Ross Video's Inception News integrated with VSNLIVECOM was implemented, offering a complete MOS workflow for news production. Being a workflow compatible with MOS, it was easy to integrate existing solutions, such as Autoscript telepontos. Inception News allows Porto Canal journalists to easily create, manage and produce news that can later be transmitted and / or published on social networks. While Inception deals with the story creation part, VSNLIVECOM deals with the story transmission part, acting as an MOS interface and automation of the video production servers.
In the playout domain, VSNMULTICOM was already the automation used since the launch of the channel and Porto Canal was satisfied with it. VSN only needed to implement a version update, integrate it with the other implemented solutions and configure it to support the new format and the new video servers and routers chosen by Porto Canal.
The main and most important addition to the broadcast workflow was VSNCREATV, whose integration with VSNSPIDER and VSNEXPLORER allows the automatic movement of all media files in relation to any program or advertising campaign that Porto Canal schedules for transmission, triggering any workflow needed. At the same time, the consolidation of the VSNCREATV transmission records from the AS-RUN records provided by VSNMULTICOM allows Porto Canal to have detailed reports on what was transmitted and when it was transmitted, by automatically managing the transmission and the presentation of advertising contracts .
THE RESULTS
With the implementation of VSN solutions in an end-to-end scheme, Porto Canal went from a channel with a manual-based workflow to a fully managed and almost fully automated one. Now they have more time and better tools to focus on improving their content, working for the channel’s success and engaging their audience even more.
Thanks to VSN's solutions, its complete integration, as well as the wide capacities of adaptation and integration with third-party solutions, added to the investments in technical and structural improvements that Porto Canal has made in the last year, Porto Canal is now a channel reborn, equipped and prepared to ascend to the predominant and national position it aims and deserves. VSN believes that Porto Canal now has the structure and capacity to go even further, or as we say: From End-to-End to Anywhere!
2016