DigaSystem – an integrated digital radio production and content management system, is now available in Australia from East Coast Audio
The Australian radio market now has “a world class system for gathering editing, producing, distributing, and delivering on-air material – DigaSystem,” says East Coast Audio.
Developed over the past 10 years by Munich-based D.A.V.I.D. (Digital Audio Video Integration and Development), the radio operating system was designed originally to provide instant access to constantly changing digital audio files over a standard computer network.
“Since then it has evolved with radio’s technological breakthroughs, the emergence of the Internet, consolidation of geographical markets and facilities, to become a professional radio and media system solution with state-of-the-art content management capabilities.”
DigaSystem is now available in Australia through East Coast Audio, headed by 20 year audio industry veteran Robert Bontschek.
Bontschek said he chose DigaSystem because the founders had demonstrated over the past decade “a commitment to develop the system in consultation with respected, active professional broadcasters.”
“DigaSystem has also been designed to use current IT and network standards and is architected around common database systems which allows for growth while maintaining openness and accessibility for clients,” he said.
Bontschek believes Australian radio networks now require the ability to handle local and wide area network content distribution accurately and effectively. DigaSystem’s Replication Network currently includes several thousand desktop destinations spread over 5 countries with over 2500 audio files being transferred every week.
Now the de-facto standard production and distribution in (ARD) German Public Radio, the DigaSystem editors have been integrated into more radio production facilities in Europe than all other systems according to Bontschek.
DigaSystem covers stand-alone solutions for correspondents as well as large-scale client/server applications for recording, storage, administration, editing, distribution and transmission of audio actualities and format elements. It covers all processes including: Ingest/Recording, Editing and Production, Data Storage and Management, Archiving, Scheduling, On-Air Tools, WAN/LAN Distribution plus Internet capability.
One of its key capabilities was intensive news production and news sub-systems for program services with on-air automation. It meant a single network could handle multiple on-air studios with or without additional audio clients, using manual or automatic audio file transfer—ISDN,WAN, and Internet—to and from remote stations.
User-friendly—Bontschek says one of DigaSystem’s keys is user friendliness – “it’s a a system designed for radio people, not computer wizards”.
DigaSystem currently serves more than 400 Broadcast Organizations and stations, including many of the largest European National Public Broadcasters, with over 7000 workstations installed worldwide. It uses hardware based on standard PC computer components, networks and storage devices, compatible with Novell or Microsoft NT and Unix servers, Windows 95/98/2000/NT workstations, standard SQL database, C++ and XML. It employs MPEG 1/ Layer 2 and linear on Digigram or standard multi-media boards.
DigaSystem Module Overview
Content Management
Radio workflow, including exchange, production and delivery are managed by a Content Management System, controlled by Digadesk-Top.
The heart of the DigaSystem is the database, or databases, which are organized through the Database Manager. Audio and text data stored in the database, can be quickly found, retrieved and managed using easily discerned symbols, color-codes and an intuitive drag & drop interface.
DigAdmin is used to administrate the system configuration from any node of the network; DigaSystem Archive allows clips to be quickly transferred back into the Database Manager; while other useful modules include DigErase and DigAlign for data management and data integrity.
Production Modules
The Edigas Editing Station, a one-track editing solution for mono and stereo takes, is specially tailored for radio-editing using an intuitive graphical user-interface and supporting MPEG I Layer II and linear editing. Direct server editing meaning no data-retrieval delays between the workstation and server.
It was the original D.A.V.I.D. product and can be enhanced to two tracks with the mixer tool known as EdiMix.
Ideal for feature production and transmission-ready takes is the Multitrack Editor. This digital multi-track solution provides for any number of tracks and automatically mixes them onto two outputs. The reporter box provides fast and easy packaging of individual takes into a transmission-ready form for simulated “live” production or direct-to-air transmission.
EasyTrack Editor, the 3-track-editor, allows editing of audio material on 3 tracks. It offers many of the features from the Multitrack Editor and is available with the Reporter Box option.
DigaStudio, the 3-channel desktop mixer with integrated edit controller and jog wheel, enables operation of the editors without any keyboard or mouse. It can be individually configured and allows telephone and microphone control.
Exchange Modules
Various forms of Content distribution are handled via DigaSystem Exchange Modules – such as a live parliamentary recording, a foreign correspondent’s report or Internet publishing.
The DigaCoder family serves as an automatic or remote controlled recording station – it is the “data delivery workhorse” for the DigaSystem.
Each new recording will generate an entry into the Diga-System database including its assigned title, date and time of generation, thus enabling instant access to incoming audio from any workstation, even while recording is
still in progress (i.e. during long coverage of live events).
DigaTrans and DigaMailbox drag & drop tools offer complex ISDN data transmission functionality with fully automatic target file conversion.
DigAlign provides dynamic alignment of WAN/LAN database contents or directories as well as fully automated deletion routines.
Other exchange functionality is provided by DigaReceive automatic audio file capture via WAN/LAN; DigaReplicator for automatic distribution of database content via WAN/IP; Outlook Reader automatically extracts audio and text files via MS Outlook; WebAlign is a module for dynamic content alignment to a web-based database including audio format conversion; DigaWebSend transmits FTP audio files via Internet; and WebTrans allows reporters to transmit audio files to a dedicated broadcaster’s website using a conventional web browser.
Scheduling and Delivery Modules
The DigaSystem offers both dedicated delivery modules for insertion of audio into full programs, e.g. NewsPlayerX for news plus full program On-Air Control for scheduling and transmission of a complete show.
NewsPlayerX, a third generation product with versatile 8-channel show presentation features multiple playlists, jingles, pre-listening and text prompting with a flexible output configuration.
NewsPresenter is dedicated to text-oriented play-out of news elements.
The Cartwall System simplifies management and playout of format elements, to the Radioformatics® standard. It includes CartPlayer4, an On-Air playback station, which emulates 4 independent cart players;
CartSampler, designed for spontaneous and instant access to a predefined selection of jingle elements; and
DigaPlayer4 with the same functionality as CartPlayer4 but integrated in the DigaSystem production environment using database content entries.
AutoPlayer is a tool for the automated playback of predefined play lists that can be planned with the help of the Database Manager and NewsSchedulerX. Up to 8 Stereo or Mono channels can be played back per workstation.
AdCom System consists of AdCom Manager and AdCom Player, and allows for organization and transmission of advertisements (“spots”). AdCom is compatible to the Database Manager so that clips can be directly transferred from the database via drag & drop into an advertising block.
Full program on-air control is provided by DigaROC, the DigaSystem OnAir Client, the delivery tool for schedules created in the DigAIRrange environment. It offers two audio channels for play lists and pre-fader listening, and includes an integrated jingle bank. The basic audio engine is fully compatible with all internal audio and data formats. DigaROC and the scheduling client DigAIRrange are part of BroadcastServer.
The BroadcastServer
The BroadcastServer is a solution that provides for dynamic planning and scheduling of complete radio programs using a central database for manipulation, distribution and storage of all schedules and program planning information. It comprises Scheduling Client planning module for broadcast information; OnAir Client studio delivery module; Import Clients automated or semi automated import of data from other systems (music rotation, advertisement disposition etc.); plus additional clients for RDS, DAB, Internet, WAP etc.
The principle of dedicated Clients makes flexible expansions and individual adjustments to future systems much easier. Communication between server and active clients is event-driven and based on TCP/IP.
DigaWebSystem
One of the latest DigaSystem enhancements DigaWebSystem that has been developed to manage content via Internet or intranet connections outside the DigaSystem environment.
It includes: WebPortal Internet portal solution with automated content exchange or drag & drop from the Database Manager; Intranet Research to research and prelisten from the intranet via browser and audio card; DigaWebExchange – Download or upload entries via internet/intranet; E-Commerce for re-use of audio files via internet; plus Streaming of playlist and automated schedule playback into the internet.
DigaWebSystem is based on ASP scripts and COM components which read DigaSystem contents and reproduce them on a website, providing a broadcaster with a web presence and a web portal that can be managed without leaving
the familiar production environment.
East Coast Audio will display this and other products at SMPTE 1-4 July 2003. SMPTE is on at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. Hall 5, Stand #
H40.
Contacts:
Robert Bontschek, East Coast Audio
Phone 61 3 9525 6611,
Fax 61 3 9525 6867,
Mobile 0418 381 481
EMail to: [email protected]