The transition to an integrated digital broadcast environment

Broadcasters and cable operators worldwide are embracing technologies designed to increase productivity, reduce operating costs, and improve broadcast quality. Such is the case with the transition to an integrated digital broadcast environment. Stations are beginning to envision the integration of their increasingly computer-based video handling systems. Streamlining everything from nonlinear editing and commercial insertion to video-on-demand, digital computer-based systems are carving out niches previously reserved for tape-based solutions. However, these systems are currently mostly "stand-alone" or "closed" with little or no integration with other devices or aspects of the facility. The goal of an integrated digital broadcast environment is the "virtualization" of the physical location of where video material is stored, resulting in editing systems sharing storage with the playback system and spot insertion systems linking with traffic and billing. The use of optical fibres in the system is discussed.