Pixel Power and Red Bee Media Eliminate Post-Production with Automated Graphics at ESPN Classic
Breakthrough In-Programme Graphics and Automated Promotions
NAB2006, Stand SU4359, 24 April 2006: ESPN Classic in Europe is implementing revolutionary automated promo-production and in-programme graphics from Pixel Power and Red Bee Media to eliminate the need for post-production - a first for programme graphics. Pixel Power's Pixel Promo provides automated promos and in-programme graphics for score updates, branding and historical information for the leading sports broadcast's 24-hour multi-channel European operations.
Pixel Promo builds multi-language graphics with audio tags from templates for promo creation just prior to air. It overlays the view time and programme titles by searching the automation and listings schedules for the correct appointment to view. This automatic versioning of promos saves time in post-production and ingest.
To increase flexibility, Pixel Power applies graphics live to air rather than burning them to master tape. Working from prepared job files, events such as a score change automatically trigger the corresponding on-screen graphics. Revising the look and feel simply requires a job-file update rather than post-production.
Following its migration to Red Bee Media for playout, ESPN Classic is to broadcast its dedicated sporting content in Italian, French and English with graphics in each appropriate language for additional information and a distinctive on-air look.
Jamie Baker, ESPN Classic's director of production explains: "In Europe, ESPN Classic sources material from around the world that is typically 'clean' of graphics so it's vital we add our own mark. This exciting, world-first, graphics project allows us to do this faster than has ever been possible and saves us the substantial cost of post-production for graphics."
"Graphics are the lynchpin of the viewing experience so broadcasters must create them and get them to air easily and cost-effectively," says Pixel Power's MD James Gilbert. "ESPN Classic demonstrates that broadcasting across different regions in various languages is not a hurdle to achieving this, given the right graphics equipment. As its graphics look evolves, its entire programme library can be rebranded quickly and easily without time-consuming post-production work."
