Miranda To Debut Version 1.1 of iTX Render Service for Adobe After Effects CS6

Miranda Technologies, a Belden Brand, a global provider of integrated solutions for production, playout and delivery systems for television broadcasters and multi-system operators, announced the debut of Version 1.1 of its iTX Render Service for Adobe After EffectsCS6 software. The iTX Render Service is a marked departure from traditional methods of graphics creation that now unleashes the full creative power of After EffectsCS6 within Miranda’s iTX playout platform workflow.

iTX Render Service for Adobe After Effects removes existing barriers to graphics creativity by enabling the use of After Effects as a launch pad for graphic innovation, limited only by the imagination of the author. 

Rather than relying on a real-time character generator to play back graphics templates, the iTX Render Service automates and manages fully rendered After Effects graphics, making them immediately ready for playout from either the iTX platform or Miranda’s Vertigo Suite of graphics automation and asset management tools. Media can be previewed and verified before airing via Miranda’s web-based, browser-agnostic SmartClient content preparation tool. Once approved, clips air exactly as rendered, precisely as scheduled, every time. This vastly reduces the potential for errors as opposed to traditional real-time rendering routines.

In addition to the removal of creative constraints – and the inherent limitations of individual channel branding devices – another of the multiple benefits of the iTX Render Service is that operations, promotion and technical management departments profit from the ability to publish rich graphics to multiple channels using the same graphics workflow, all from a single platform. There is no longer any need to buy additional hardware for each channel, which is a major benefit for broadcasters and playout operators of any size.

The iTX Render Service can be retrofitted to any existing iTX-handled channel, or added as an option to new deployments of iTX or Vertigo Suite graphics tools.

Miranda also announced that several of its senior executives will be among its contingent of featured speakers at NAB 2013. Belden Executive Vice President Denis Suggs will offer his perspectives as part of the panel discussion Mergers & Acquisitions, Valuation Perspectives from Industry Executives during the Media Technology: Strategy and Evaluation coproduced by Devoncroft and NAB on Sunday April 7, from 3:10-3:45 PM in North Hall rooms N239/N241.

The panel of three high-profile executives from leading broadcast vendors will offer views on the critical drivers of value in the industry, and discuss how best to review an acquisition opportunity and integrate M&A into overall growth strategies. Perceived obstacles to further industry consolidation will also be discussed.

Sam Pemberton, CEO of Softel, now part of Miranda, will present a technical paper entitled Intelligent Uses of Speech Analysis Tools in the Ancillary Data, Metadata and Captioning Areas of Broadcast to Reduce Costs and Cater to Dramatically Increased Media Throughput as part of the Television Quality Assurance strand on Tuesday April 9, from 9:00-9:30 AM in S227. Pemberton will examine some of the challenges broadcasters are facing and demonstrate how new thinking is helping to solve them. As broadcasters prepare to maximize revenue on their content using new media platforms, Pemberton will also explain how speech analysis systems can assist in successfully simplifying closed captioning for huge amounts of archival content.

Also on Tuesday April 9, from 2:00-3:00 PM in S228, Miranda’s iTX Playout Platform will feature prominently in a technical paper co-presented by CBC Director of Media Presentation Scott Stewardson and CBC Director of Media Engineering Jeff Vella who will discuss Integrated Content Presentation at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The presentation will explore CBC’s transition to a new Media Presentation Center with the aim of centralizing program integration and on-air presentation for all of its English television, radio and digital live streaming feeds. The iTX-based facility now provides common workflows, tools and interfaces for the on-air presentation of all CBC Media.

Sara Kudrle, product marketing manager at Miranda, will present an NAB technical paper entitled Fingerprints for Measuring and Correcting A/V Synchronization on Wednesday April 10, from 10:30-11:00 AM in S227 and she will also participate in three sessions at the PBS TechCon 13, taking place at Planet Hollywood from April 3-5. Also at TechCon 13, Peter Wharton, product manager for Telecast Fiber Solutions at Miranda, will present The Future of Core Station Technology: A Tale of Three Cities from 4:00-5:20 PM in Melrose Rooms 1&2.

Miranda will also host a Press Conference on Monday April 8 at 8:00 AM in the LVCC Press Room N242 (PLEASE NOTE CHANGE IN LOCATION) The presentation will feature senior executives from Miranda, Belden and Softel, who will focus on strategy, as well as a key application solution new for NAB.