DITG expands with Pharos playtime
DITG has orders its second Pharos Playtime presentation playout system
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Digital Interactive TV Group (DITG) has ordered its second Pharos Playtime presentation playout system. Based at Wapping in London's Docklands, DITG produces its own programme content and provides technical resources plus a wide range of transmission services for third-party broadcasters. DITG acquired its first Pharos Playtime plus a Pharos Mediator media library management system when it took over The Money Channel's premises and facilities in 2001. DITG soon ordered expansions to the Playtime installation, taking it from a dual-channel to a four-channel system.
The new investment expands DITG's transmission playout capacity to six channels of Playtime, all accessing the original Mediator archive database. Four Pharos workstations have been installed, with playlists, off-line scheduling, databases, hardware panels and Pharos Control Platform (PCP) interfaces.
Traditional broadcast control systems rely on a playlist of video events as their main timing reference. Pharos Playtime uses a package with independent tracks for each event sequence. Each track is displayed on the Playtime control screen as a separate timeline, typically representing main video, backup video, discrete voice-over languages, GPIs, mix/effects, logo and subtitles. Playtime enables individual schedulers to create dynamic and exciting presentation effects that could otherwise only be achieved using extensive post-production facilities.
DITG (www.ditg.tv) is managed by Neil MacDonald, an interactive industry veteran with over 10 years' experience of developing and launching interactive services via satellite, the internet and mobile telephone. DITG's own channels include Avago (the world's first live interactive TV gaming channel), launched in July 2002. DITG's gaming company The Television Gaming Group (TGG) operates Avago as well as iSports TV and provides interactive TV gaming and betting services for many other operators. It recently signed an agreement to broadcast a branded interactive television channel for William Hill plc on the Sky digital platform from late 2004.
Published on 20 Jul 2004